


Gothel's Perfect World

by Enixam1994



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-27
Updated: 2019-02-16
Packaged: 2019-03-24 20:58:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 123,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13819335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Enixam1994/pseuds/Enixam1994
Summary: After being defeated by the heroes, Gothel makes one last ditch effort to win, kidnapping Alice and using both their untouched potential in order to recreate the world. And she succeeds. Gothel changes everything into her own perfect image with herself as Empress. Unfortunately, a side effect is that Alice is completely unaffected by her spell. When she manages to escape, Gothel realises that she could prove troublesome, but no matter; Alice will soon find that she doesn't have quite so many friends in Gothel's world as she did in her own.





	1. Prologue

   Several things registered to Alice's groggy mind before she had fully woken up.

   The first was the cold breeze that somehow managed to crawl its way up her shirt and leave a trail of goose bumps back down along both her arms. The next being the mumbling sound that echoed off the walls but at the same time, was still too distant for her to make out what was being said. Then there was the hard surface that she was currently lying on top of. The solid flooring was pressing against her to the point where she was sure it was going to leave bruises all along her side and face if she didn't shift herself soon. And finally, the last thing she took note of before she became fully awake, was the sickly feeling that filled her nose and the back of her throat; a feeling similar to as if she was coming down with a cold only she somehow knew that instead of the flu, this feeling was actually the reason for her unconscious state. It was the cold clammy and sickly feeling of magic.

   God, Alice hated magic. It was quite literally the cause of all her misery in life. Magic was the reason she had been born in a witch’s tower, and the reason that she was unable to leave for almost her entire childhood. It was also the reason she and her father had spent so many years separated from one another, with his heart cursed so that if she even tried to embrace him then she would cause him a great deal of pain and had the very likely chance of outright killing. And then, just as she found a small slither of happiness in her life with Robin, magic had forced its way in again and separated them with fake lives and false memories, so they didn't even recognise each other anymore. That curse was the loneliest that Alice had ever felt, even more than when she had been trapped in her tower, because at least then she knew there was someone out there for her. In Hyperion Heights, no one seemed to be there for her at all. She was completely alone.

   And now, after all that, it had knocked her unconscious, and just when she finally thought this torment would be over. Just as she and her friends and family were cured of the dark curse, and just as she and Robin had finally found each other again, more magic had quite literally been thrown into her face. As in Alice's mother, Gothel, had been cornered until she had pulled out something that was eerily similar to dark fairy dust and had physically thrown it right into all of their faces, knocking everyone in the room unconscious. Alice had a single memory of seeing Robin fall out of reach – just for a second – before she too was hit with a sudden darkness and dropped to the floor.

   She had expected to wake up in the exact same place – Roni's bar – surrounded by unconscious friends and family but missing one Mother Gothel, who she didn't doubt would use this as her chance to escape. Instead Alice found herself in a completely opposite and unexpected situation altogether.

   When Alice finally managed to prise open her eyelids, slowly pushing her hands under her and sitting up despite her screaming muscles protesting the movement every second of the way, she found she didn't even recognise the area she was in. At best she would describe it as an underground boiler room. It was empty except for a series of pipes that were stretching throughout the room in every direction around her. They were pressed against the walls, hung up against the ceiling, twisted close to the floor and even criss-crossing over one another in a few odd places and sticking out slightly into the room. The floor was a cold grey concrete, and the walls and ceiling looked almost like they had some kind of metal panelling over the top with a temperature so low that her whole body began to shiver uncontrollably, and she had to resist the urge to wrap her arms around herself and curl into a ball for warmth.

   The sound of movement made Alice whip her head around sharply, turning to find the only other person in the room; Mother Gothel herself, shuffling on the spot behind her. She currently had her back to Alice and seemed to be leaning over a soft red rug that had white chalk lines drawn over the surfaces fuzz. She was also the source of the mumbling, pausing only every few minutes to adjust something on the rug before she continued from where she had left off. Every now and then she would take something from a box sitting beside her and add it to the space in front of her, even lighting a set of very small and dull candles to put against each of the corners, lining them up with the white chalk carefully. Alice may not have magic of her own, but she easily recognised it when she saw it being handled so delicately.

   Gothel didn't seem to have noticed that Alice was awake just yet. She was too busy with whatever it was she was attempting to sprinkle over the rug. It looked similar to the stuff that she had thrown in Alice's face, but she had no idea what it was exactly, only that Gothel seemed to have an ample supply of it on her person. So, if Alice didn't want another mouthful of knock out dust thrown in her face for a second time then she would need to be careful and – most importantly – quiet.

   Slowly twisting around onto her hands and knees, Alice climbed shakily to her feet. She did her best to keep from breathing too loudly, as well as not letting her shoes scratch against the concrete, all the while never taking her eyes off the back of Gothel’s head from where she still was hunched over the rug. She didn't even risk glancing around the room in hopes of spotting a door until she was completely standing and knew she could break into a sharp run if she needed to, though she hoped to avoid that since she wasn’t going to kid herself into thinking there was any chance of her escaping Gothel simply by running for it.

   The room was bigger than Alice had originally thought, with very little light that made it near impossible for her to see if it even had an exit against one of its many dark walls. And at this point Alice wouldn't have been surprised if this was some kind of a torture chamber that Gothel had personally created that had no escape without the helpful use of magic. She was definitely crazy enough for something like that.

   Once Alice was on her feet, the faint dizziness she felt faded quickly and she began to take quiet steps backwards, barely lifting her feet on the ground but not letting them drag either. Still, she never took her eyes off Gothel’s back, just waiting for the older woman to notice something was amiss and turn around to spot her back on the move. When Gothel didn't immediately spot her making her escape, Alice stretched a hand out behind her, letting her fingers brush through the air before they made contact with the wall. Then she pressed herself against it, hoping the dark shadows would cover most of her body so Gothel wouldn’t catch her movement so obviously from the corner of her eyes. It wasn't very full proof, but Alice would take even the slightest advantage when it came to her psychotic mother.

   Pressing as flat as she could make herself, Alice began to slide along the wall, feeling the way in hopes of stumbling upon the door, even knowing that her chances were slim at best. But she'd rather do that than stand around, waiting to be rescued by the others or, worse, caught by Gothel again. She was very conscious about accidentally moving into Gothel's line of sight or making a noise to draw her attention and momentarily entertained the idea of striking an attack on the witch while she was distracted with her back turned, but just as quickly she shook the thought away. Even if she did manage to catch Gothel off guard with a quick attack, she would easily recover and use magic to subdue Alice before she had a chance for anything more. And that was on the very off chance that she somehow managed to get a single hit on her to begin with. Which Alice highly doubted.

   So instead of doing anything rash, she continued to ease around against the wall, shuffling carefully and quietly the whole time. She ran into a couple of pipes and a few solid objects that she couldn't identify but easily manoeuvred around after a momentary pause. It felt like forever of gliding her hand along the wall and shuffling her feet quietly over the pipes that were spread in her way before her fingers finally found something that resembled a crack. Alice immediately froze on the spot, barely daring to believe it. She swallowed down her nerves, trying to quench her dry mouth – the sickly feeling still clinging to the back of her throat – before Alice began to trace her hands up along the crack. It wasn't something created by accident, too wide and too straight. Slowly she began to stretch her hand passed the crack and feel up the wall until she felt the greatest thing a young woman trapped in a room with her psychotic sorceress of a mother could feel. A door handle.

   Alice tried not to rush in her excitement, knowing that would only lead to her making a mistake, and instead kept her slow pace going as she reached up to grasp the handle firmly, twisting it as quietly as she could manage, holding her breath and watching Gothel closely the whole time. When she pulled the door open, there was the briefest groan from the old hinges rubbing against one another and Alice froze mid pull. But thankfully Gothel's mumbling seemed to have covered up the slight noise and the older woman didn't move from where she was now completely crouched over the rug, her shoulders shaking from the concentration of whatever it was she was working on. Taking a slow breath to steady her nerves, Alice threw open the door and dived inside, breaking into a sprint as fast as her legs could carry her...

   Only to run straight into a wall. Or rather, not right into it but pretty damn close. She felt her foot kick something that was lying in her way and her hands reached out automatically to support her as she fell just in time to keep her from breaking her nose on the solid surface of the brick wall just inches from her face. Alice scrambled to get her legs back under her and spun around, looking at each of the walls, but it seemed the room she had run into for escape was a dead end. In a desperate last-ditch effort – knowing Gothel would have heard her banging into the room so there was no point trying to backtrack – Alice began to feel along the walls in hopes of finding some kind of secret trap door, or even a crawl space she could squeeze into. But there was nothing in the room with her besides some broken pieces of wood that were scattered around at her feet.

   “There's no escape.”

   Alice liked to give herself credit for not shrieking aloud when she spun to find Gothel standing in the open doorway behind her. It was dark but Gothel had brought a single candle with her, though it didn’t actually help. In fact, it did very little to light up the room and instead gave Gothel a threatening look with the help of dark shadows that flickered around the features on her face.

   Pressing herself back against the wall again, Alice wanted to look for an escape plan, but she couldn’t bring herself to look away from Gothel's smirking face. She did her best to put on a brave face and when Gothel didn’t make an immediate move towards her, she let her eyes flicker away in search for a weapon she might be able to use to defend herself with. There really wasn’t much within reach. And the things that were wouldn't exactly cause a witch like Gothel many issues. But at this point, all Alice was hoping for was a strong enough distraction that she could make one last break for it, even if she still wasn't sure where she would go if she could. The room was too large and too dark for her to find a door without a few minutes to search. But that didn't mean Alice was going to go down without a fight.

   Gothel took that moment to step into the room, looking around the small area as casually as if she was making up her mind on whether or not she was going to bother decorating it. “Do you know what this room is?”

   Alice hesitated, pretending to look around at the room in order to answer her question but really, she was still hoping for a weapon. “A broom closet?” She quipped.

   Gothel ignored her. “This is the room that Victoria Belfrey attempted to lock me away in once she realised I was working with her daughter, Drizella. The same room that the chivalrous Detective Rogers found me in, rescuing me and releasing me back into the world.”

   Alice bristled at the mention of her father. She hated the idea of Gothel using him, of her tricking him into helping her in any way, whether it be to escape her tower or escape a small dark room underground. Even more so since that incident had also almost led to Killian completely turning on Alice because of her unknowing interference. If Alice had known what she knew now, she would have worked twice as hard to make sure that Killian never found where Gothel was locked away.

   “Your father truly was a hero that day.” Gothel chuckled, walking towards Alice.

   Alice instinctively tried to walk around her, but with so many things in her way, she quickly found herself being cornered. “Why did you kidnap me?” She asked, hoping to keep Gothel talking until she thought of an escape.

   “Is it really kidnapping?” Gothel smiled coldly. “You are my daughter after all.”

   “First time I've ever heard you call me that.” Alice hissed, then spat on the floor. “If it's all the same, I'd rather not hear you say it again. We both know you are not my mother. Not really.”

   “No. Not really.” Gothel shrugged. “But that doesn't mean I don't have use of you.”

   “What is _that_ supposed to mean?” Alice demanded.

   “You may not have natural magical abilities, but that doesn't mean there isn't a spark inside you. One that I can make use of.” Gothel said, walking closer towards her.

   Alice felt a cold panic grip her and, without thinking about it, she dived to the side. She tried to duck away from Gothel and make a break for the door but before she could, a hand reached out and grabbed a fist full of her blonde hair, physically dragging her to the ground. Alice shouted in surprise more than pain and reached up, trying to knock Gothel's hand off her but the older woman was both stronger and faster. She waved a hand over Alice’s face, her fingers sparking slightly along the tips, and Alice's body went rigid as stone. Just like that, she found she was suddenly unable to move even a little finger. It felt like her whole body was covered in a thick, quick drying layer of cement. The most she felt was a slight tingle along her arms and legs and a heavy pressure on her chest but otherwise, she was completely numb.

   “There now. That's a good girl.” Gothel said, stroking her hair mockingly out of the way of her face as Alice stared wide eyed up at her. Even her vocal cords were frozen, so she couldn't even manage a muffled cry against her sealed lips, instead screaming silently in her mind, and at this point, she wasn’t even sure if it was in fear or fury.

   Gothel grabbed Alice by her stiff shoulders and dragged her back into the other room. She pulled Alice across the floor all the way towards the rug, lying her down beside it and within her line of sight as easily as if she were pulling a plank of wood. Once she had Alice lying on a spot within view, she temporarily walked out of Alice's sight and came back a few seconds later with two pieces of rope that she magicked around Alice's ankles and wrist, tying her in place.

   “That should keep you from taking any more walks.” Gothel noted, turning back to the rug and continuing her spell where she left off.

   The feeling was gradually coming back to Alice's body, starting with her head and face. It took her a few minutes but eventually she could move her lips and her tongue, even if it was still a bit of a struggle to form words properly enough to be understood. “What... Are... You... Doin...?”

   “I'm fixing things.” Gothel said coldly. “Now hush.”

   “Never.” Alice growled stubbornly. “What… Are you… Doing?”

   Gothel turned to glare down at her but Alice just glared right back. After a moment Gothel seemed impressed enough to give her an answer. “I'm going to change the world. To my own design.”

   “That's... Not... Possible...” Alice mumbled.

   “It's hard. But not impossible.” Gothel explained. “And it will drain almost all of my magic from me. Which is why I need a blood relative’s magic to substitute my own, even if it's unreachable magic.”

   “Not... Possible...” Alice repeated.

   “We'll see about that.” Gothel replied shortly.

   Alice had almost all her movement back now – Gothel must be saving her magical power for the spell – but she was still tied up and couldn't move very far before Gothel reached over to physically drag her back into place each time as easily as controlling a wandering toddler. In the end she gave up trying to squirm away and instead focussed on breaking free of her rope bindings around her wrists and ankles, wriggling and kicking, rocking back and forth like a worm burying deeper into the dirt. But no matter how much she struggled, the ropes didn't loosen.

   “Nearly finished...” Gothel mumbled, and Alice wasn't sure if she was talking to her or just talking to herself.

   By now Alice's body was completely back to normal, and she was past the point of being panicked. “HELP!” She screamed, rolling away from Gothel and shouting as loudly as she could at the walls closest to her. “PAPA! RUMPLESTILTSKIN! HELP!”

   “No one is coming, now be quiet before you annoy me and I take away your tongue.” Gothel said calmly.

   Alice ignored her and kept screaming. “SOMEONE HELP!”

   Gothel reached a hand over towards her face, no doubt to make good on her promise to remove her tongue, and Alice got out one last desperate scream. There was a heat coming from her hands and her fingers began to twitch just inches from her lips when they both heard something that made them pause. At first it was too quiet but and far off but then it grew drastically closer.

   “Alice?” A distant voice called, one that Alice recognised immediately.

   “PAPA!” Alice screamed in response.

   “Alice!” It was Rumplestiltskin this time. They had all come for her.

   “I'M HERE! I'M IN HERE!” Alice called, shouting until her throat felt like it was being torn with the effort.

   “Damn it...” Gothel mumbled, ignoring Alice's screams and turning back to the rug, hands moving faster than before.

   “HURRY!” Alice shouted, rolling onto her side, though she wasn't sure in what direction they were coming. All their voices were muffled with a slight echo like they were coming from every direction. “SHE'S CASTING A SPELL! HURRY!”

   “Too late.” Gothel whispered.

   Alice rolled back to face her, looking up as Gothel stood up, looming over her with an unnervingly satisfied expression on her face. She turned to look at Alice and the unnerve turned into full on terror.

   Gothel began to wave her hand over the rug like she had previously done to Alice. As the magic built up along her palm and fingers, Alice turned onto her side and continued to scream for help. But it was no good. Even as she heard the pound of footsteps to her right, it was clear that something was slowing them down, stalling them long enough for Gothel to complete her spell. Beside Alice's head, the chalk on the rug began to glow and the candle flames suddenly stretched out to one another until it had made an almost box shape over the rug, burning bright and hot close to Alice's face. She winced, shutting her eyes and trying to shuffle away from it as best as she could, but Gothel waved a hand and suddenly Alice was forced to stand by her side, ankles and wrist still tightly bound as well as Gothel’s magic that was keeping her from moving.

   “Time to recreate the world.” Gothel whispered.

   “You won't get away with this.” Alice snarled. “Heroes always win!”

   “We'll see about that.” Gothel smirked.

   With a final wave of her hand, just as Alice heard the crashing sound of her father and friends hitting whatever door was hidden from her sight, the flames around the rug suddenly reached up and wrapped tightly around both Gothel and Alice. The pain was instant, and not just for Alice. Gothel, too, let out a cry of agony as the fire burned their skin and reached through their bodies to something inside them, drawing power that made the white chalk glow to an almost blinding single light that filled the entire dark room.

   Alice shut her eyes against the pain, screaming and trying to hunch over to protect herself but unable to even manage a slight lean. Something was keeping her upright and Alice didn't think it was Gothel anymore. It was the worst kind of pain that she had ever experienced in her life. She briefly thought she heard her father and Rumplestiltskin calling her name again, but the roaring of the flames was so close to her ears that it must have been her imagination. The whole room was lit up now, but Alice had to keep her eyes shut to avoid being blinded, wishing she could shuffle away from the flames that seemed to be forcing their way right down to her very soul. It was too much, she couldn't even breathe anymore and Alice felt her tears mix in with the sweat over her face, opening her mouth in a wordless scream as the flames completely covered her every part of her body – inside and out.

   And then, just as quickly as it all started, it was over. For Alice, at least. Gothel probably lasted longer, and there was probably a lot more to the spell than a simple bit of flame work, but for Alice, it ended not long after it started when she mercifully fell unconscious at Gothel's feet.

**To Be Continued...**

_Chapter Two: Gothel's Castle - Sneak Peek:_  
_Alice froze but did her best not show it. “Excuse me? What do you mean, mother?”_  
_Gothel shook her head, still smirking like she had just seen a toddler do something that was both clever and naughty. “You're going to have to try a lot harder than that to fool me, Alice.”_  
_“Mother...” Alice began._  
_“Word of advice, Alice, darling.” Gothel took a step towards her. “Don't go for any acting auditions any time soon.”  
_ _Alice hesitated. The next move she made was crucial._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Story Time!: It's been a while since I posted a multi fic story. The truth is, I am very reluctant to post a story until it is complete because I'm terrified of leaving a story unfinished and disappointing people. I did this once after a long break and I felt so bad about it.  
> I wasn't going to post this story but for multiple reasons. 1st, I'm trying not to let one bad experience stop me from posting - I'm normally good at finishing my stuff. 2nd, I'm really loving some of the things I've written in this story and I want to share it! And 3rd, I've strategically decided to post now because I don't want to post it after everyone has moved on from the series and is no longer interested.
> 
> Anyway. This story is going to heavily focus on Alice's relationships with Robin, her father and Rumple. I don't know how long it's going to be just yet but I don't think it'll be too long.  
> Please comment, tell me what you think of the chapter, tell me what you think is going to happen in the next chapter, tell me what you wish would happen, tell me what you ate for lunch today, just tell me something!  
> Thank you! ;) <3


	2. Gothel's Castle

   When Alice next opened her eyes, she was no longer tied up in the dank room surrounded by rusty pipes and no visible way out. That was a relief. That, and the fact that she was no longer on fire, which was always nice.

   Unfortunately, that didn't mean she was in the clear just yet. After all, there was still Mother Gothel and that spell she was casting...

   “NO!” As soon as the fog in her mind had cleared for the second time in less than a day, Alice launched herself back onto her feet, screaming loudly only to cut herself off mid cry when she got a glimpse of her surroundings.

   Wherever she was now, she was completely alone. Gothel had vanished from her side and the sounds of her family and friends beating on the walls and invisible door had also disappeared, leaving the room with an eerie silence instead. Somehow, the cold silence of this room was almost as bad as Gothel’s echoing voice in the other. Now Alice had goose bumps back along her arms and shoulders but for entirely new reasons that were almost as bad as the first.

   Alice wasn't exactly sure where she was. Which made the fact that she was getting a painfully creepy sense of déjà vu even more unnerving. While it was nice that she was no longer in an underground, cold, damp concrete prison like room, Alice somehow still found that she wished she was back there rather than here – wherever _here_ was exactly. This room felt far too familiar for her liking with its soft dark shaded carpet and brightly painted cream coloured walls surrounding her everywhere she looked. It didn't have four solid walls like a normal room either, but rather a single wall that encircled her with a tall pointed ceiling like she was standing in the top room of a… Tower.

   That was where her anxiety was coming from.

   However, it wasn't a complete copy, at least. Instead of a single large window big enough for someone to climb in and out of, there were three smaller circular windows on the wall and a single tall one that led out to a concrete balcony, all spread far and wide apart from each other. While the room itself was full of fancy looking old fashion furniture that she had never seen before, including a large double canopy bed fit for a princess with silk white curtains falling down around it for privacy. Opposite the bed was an equally large wooden wardrobe, a series of matching draws and to the right was a tall bookshelf that was overly stuffed with reading material and reached at least halfway to the ceiling.

   It was like something out of the Enchanted Forest, but that wasn't possible. They had been in Hyperion Heights just a few seconds ago, how could she wake back in the Enchanted Forest now? Unless Gothel's spell had been about recreating the world here and not the one in the land without magic. That actually made more sense and less sense at the same time. On one hand, why would it recreate the Enchanted Forest if she was casting it in Hyperion Heights? But on the other hand, Gothel could have purposely made the spell so it transported everyone here, since there was more magic in this world than in the other. But how did she manage that? Then again, if she’d figured out a way to literally change the world itself, a little realm jumping probably wasn’t all that hard. And why would Gothel want control of a world with no magic? But what did she actually recreate with that spell, then? What _exactly_ did she do to everyone?

   The babbling thoughts in her head suddenly cut off at that last mental question. “Oh no... Papa...” Alice whispered, unconsciously reaching up to gently touch her face. If Gothel had managed to somehow recreate the world with this spell of hers, what did that mean for Alice's father, and for Robin, and even Rumplestiltskin and everyone else?

   She needed to find out.

   In a desperate move for answers, Alice ran over to the bookshelf and began ripping books off, two at a time, glancing at the covers for less than a second before she threw them over her shoulder and out of the way. Each book clattered against the floor loudly but after it left Alice’s hand, she never gave it a second thought, instead reaching desperately for the next one with a growing panic rising inside her that was just barely being contained.

   The books all were of various size thickness and a multiple of coloured covers but despite that they all seemed to be the same kind of book. Made up stories, fictional tales of some sort or another, though Alice didn't care enough actually figure out any further details. The only thing she was paying attention for was something that might resemble a history book or a diary or... _something_.

   Halfway through the bookshelf, Alice gave up and let out an angry shout, sweeping a couple more books to her feet in her annoyance and turning away with a huff. Now facing the large pile of books lying in front of her, Alice walked over and kicked some of those that had fallen into her way, just barely resisting the urge to start tearing the pages out with her bare hands. It wasn’t easy, but she knew that destroying things would do nothing to help her situation, or calm her down for that matter. In fact, it would only get her more riled and waste precious time that she really didn't have to waste right now.

   It was only as she stormed over the books, pacing in hopes of working off some of her nervous energy and clearing her thoughts, that she realised she was no longer wearing her usual Hyperion Heights – or otherwise known as her Tilly – outfit. In fact, it wasn't even her usual Alice outfit. It was something new altogether, just like the room she was standing in, only less eerily familiar.

   The outfit Alice was wearing was a long flowing dark blue skirt that was tight around her waist and had two thigh-high slits on either side of her legs while the front and back reached all the way down to the floor. She had a top that was also blue but with black flower patterns over the front and sleeves that reached her elbows with a white loose see through material underneath that reached down to her wrists. It covered her chest only with a low square collar, leaving the rest of her torso mostly exposed, the only other exception being her long blonde hair that fell down past her shoulder blades and which seemed slightly longer than it had been before when Gothel had kidnapped her. And finally, there were the hard brown boots with a slight heel that no doubt clicked when they stepped on solid surfaces, with thick white socks underneath that cushioned softly against her toes. The socks were the only comfortable thing in the entire attire and Alice suddenly felt very awkward just standing there in it.

   Hesitating, Alice wandered over to the wardrobe and the chest of draws but the clothing stored away inside was little better than that of which she was wearing. All the dresses were tight and brightly coloured, every blouse had a low collar or dip in down the spine and there was not a single pair of warm leggings or tights in sight. Instead there were a never-ending series of skirts and gowns that looked over the top, even for a place like the Enchanted Forest and Alice had seen plenty of royalty during her travels to compare. In the end, Alice grabbed a brown shawl near the bottom of the draws and tied it around her shoulders, covering most of her back and knotting it over her chest. That would do for now at least. After she knew what was going on, she could find something else to change into.

   But for now, she still needed to figure out exactly what it was that Gothel's spell had done, not to mention find all the others. Then they could work on _un_ doing it.

   Alice looked around the room again, not even sure what she was searching for at this point, because apart from an endless number of useless story books littering across the floor, there was nothing she could see that would give her a hint about this new world she had been dropped off in. This entire room was pointless decoration at best. Luckily for her, another difference from this room and the underground one she had been in with Gothel (not to mention her original tower), was that this room had a door. Even more than that. It had two.

   In another split-second decision, Alice picked the open balcony to try first, preferring to get a glimpse of what she was in for before she actually charged into it. The balcony wasn’t very large but it had room for her to step out into comfortably enough, and it had a thick waist tall solid brick wall to keep her from accidentally pitching herself over the edge along with a series of bright green coloured vines that crawled up either side of the doorway along the wall, as high as she could see – not that she looked very hard. There were more important things catching her attention than the wall décor. When Alice looked over the brick wall, she saw that she was definitely back in a tower, a tall one just like the one she had grown up in, and the vines were growing all the way up from the ground below. When she lifted her head and looked over towards the horizon, she found there wasn’t much beside endless crowd of trees and open fields. The sky was bright, the sun was out and the land was a healthy shade of light green with no buildings in sight to disturb the natural surroundings. To anyone else it might seem beautiful and welcoming but to Alice had the opposite effect.

   The whole thing, the sights and smell and even just the feel of it, gave Alice a cold nightmarish sense of deja vu and she back peddled away from the wall without thinking, tumbling back into the room behind her. Her breathe was coming in sharp panicked gasps that surprised even her as she spun around, stumbling but somehow managing to keep from falling as she dived for the second door as quickly as she could. She moved so fast, her mind hadn’t even caught up by the time she was grabbing for the handle and throwing it open.

   Images of being locked back up in her original tower flashed through her mind like a video on fast forward and before she even knew what was happening, she was running down a short set of steps and through another door into a wide hallway. She was moving so fast that she had no time to stop before she was barrelling into someone just outside, carrying a tray of empty plates and dishes, which immediately overbalanced from her hands and they were both sent crashing to the ground.

   “Mistress Alice, I apologise.” The woman said immediately, even before they had finished falling.

   She was barely bothering to straighten herself out before she jumped to her knees and bowed over so low that she nearly fell back onto her face. She was younger than Alice by a few years and dressed in an old dark greying maid uniform that was falling to ribbons right from her skinny and pale body.

   “What?” Alice blinked. She was still feeling a rush of panic, but most of her hysteria had been knocked out and replaced with surprise during the fall, a surprise which only increased when she heard what the young woman said to her. Shaking off the last of her panic – and also silently chiding herself for overreacting – Alice pushed herself back onto her feet and looked down at the girl, ignoring the shattered pieces of china now lying around them.

   “I didn't see you. Please. Please forgive me, Mistress!” The woman collapsed completely to her hands and knees, pushing her face to the floor, clearly on the verge of tears.

   “Uh...” Alice was at a loss for words. Any leftover hysteria was quickly replaced with complete confusion instead. She'd never had anyone speak to her like that before. She wasn't sure how to respond to it.

   “I am so sorry.” There were thick tears clouding her eyes, and a sob starting to block her throat. When she finally looked up at Alice properly, Alice found herself staring into the most terrified set of brown eyes she had ever seen. The girl was so scared, she looked close to passing out.

   “Relax. It's okay.” Alice said finally, brushing herself down and shrugging her shoulders awkwardly. “No harm done. Honestly, I didn’t even really like the outfit.” Not that the outfit had even been disturbed by the crash but she needed something to say and that was the only thing that came to mind.

   The girl froze, then slowly sat back slightly on her heels. “You're not angry with me, Mistress?”

   “No. It was an accident.” Alice shrugged, then frowned. “And uh, why do you keep calling me that?”

   The girl paused. Or rather, she froze, like a deer caught in headlights and the fear came back into her eyes before she asked her a question, speaking carefully, like she was choosing each of her words with deep thought before speaking them aloud. “Calling you… What… Mistress?”

   “That!” Alice said, cringing. “Why do you keep calling me ‘Mistress’?”

   “I... Uh... What would you rather I call you?” The girl asked, some of her fear being replaced with a mild confusion.

   “I dunno. I mean, just call me Alice.” Alice shrugged, her voice trailing slightly. She didn't know what to say to this girl. This was the weirdest conversation that she had with another person in a long time.

   “Uh. Mistress. I... I don't think your mother would be happy about that.” The girl said quickly.

   Before Alice could say anything else to that weird comment, a third voice interrupted them. “I wouldn't be happy about what?”

   Alice and the girl looked up at the same time, finding a sight that left them both chilled to the bone but probably for very different reasons.

   Mother Gothel strode towards them, dressed in a long flowing red gown that was worthy of a queen, with golden décor down the front and a skirt that dragged along the floor behind her to match her long sleeves that almost covered her hands completely when she let them hang regally in front of her. It had large puffy shoulder sleeves and her hair was hanging even longer than Alice's, but otherwise there was nearly no difference in her appearance at all, in fact she even had the same expression on her face as Alice had last seen in that dark underground room. It was the look of someone who had won, and they knew they had won, despite all odds saying otherwise so now they were going to enjoy themselves while they gloated.

   She strode down towards them quickly with her feet echoing with every step but still with a constant grace and dignity that made it seem like she was in no hurry at all. Along with her posture of pure arrogance, there was a clear look of recognition in her eyes that locked firmly on Alice and Alice alone. And not that of a mother looking to her daughter, but rather, a queen at a creature she would much rather see tossed out of a high window than pass by. The servant girl might as well not even be there for all the attention Gothel gave her.

   She jumped to her feet, scrambling out of the way of Gothel’s path and bowing low just like before, once again nearly losing her balance and pressing her nose between her knees. She moved up against the wall so that she was completely out of their way and left the space open between Alice and the fast-approaching woman. Alice took her own instinctive step back but realised quickly that she had nowhere to run. Her best bet right now was to play along with whatever role she was meant to be in and hope that Gothel fell for it long enough for her to make an escape.

   “What is this mess?” Gothel said, looking down at the broken plate pieces spread along the hallway.

   “I apologise, Empress!” The girl squealed, her voice sounding comically high pitched in a way that might have been funny if not for the situation. “I stumbled and dropped it. I will clean it up immediately.”

   Gothel lift her head up to look at Alice again. Apart from the obnoxiously large smug smile on her lips, her expression was near unreadable so it was impossible to tell what she was thinking past pride at her latest accomplishment. Alice tried to look innocent, grabbing the front of her skirt in her hands and dropping to a low curtsey. “Mother.” She greeted formally, the word tasting bitter on her tongue but she forced herself to smile past it.

   Gothel smirked, and then laughed. Loudly. “Oh really, Alice. Don't even try it. I know full well that you are still you.”

   Alice felt her insides freeze with tight fear but did her best not to let it show. “Excuse me? What do you mean, mother?”

   Gothel shook her head, still smirking like she had just seen a toddler do something that was both clever and naughty at the same time. “You're going to have to try a lot harder than that to fool me, Alice.”

   “Mother...” Alice began, doing her best to put a confused frown onto her forehead, as convincing as she could make it.

   “Word of advice, Alice, darling.” Gothel took a step towards her. “Don't go for any acting auditions any time soon.”

   Alice hesitated for less than a second. The next move she made was crucial. She could either keep up the charade and hope it convinced Gothel that she truly was under whatever spell it was she cast, which could lead to Gothel killing her outright if she didn't believe her, or she could make a break for it and hope for the best, which could ruin things if Gothel was secretly beginning to believe and all of this was simply a test. Whatever choice she made right now would be final. She wouldn't be able to change her mind and go back if she made the wrong one.

   “Mother...” Alice said slowly, smiling at her and hoping she didn’t regret her decision. “I swear, I don't know what it is you're talk-” Cutting herself off, she spun and ran as fast as she could.

   She heard Gothel cackling as she ran but ignored her, pushing and pumping her arms and legs harder and faster than she had ever done before in her life – even faster than when she had been running away after accidentally hurting her papa with the curse on his heart. Of course, at least then she had been wearing somewhat comfortable shoes and a well fit dress. She'd pay for it tomorrow if she had the chance, but that was a series of bruises and blisters that she'd welcome so long as she survived in order to feel them.

   Unfortunately, Alice didn't get very far when she felt a snag of magic catch onto her. It caught her off guard and knocked her down to the floor. She tried to twist away from her, but that just caused her to fall at an awkward angle on her side, bruising her hip before the magic tightened its hold and began to drag her back towards Gothel.

   The rough carpet scratched against her exposed skin, specifically over her stomach and sides, pulling her skirt up slightly along her body and giving her a painful carpet burn. The fall had left a painful bruise on her chin and her thoughts were a jumble as she struggled to concentrate enough to climb back onto her hands and knees, trying to fight the magic that dragged her along like a rag doll. Alice wanted to scream in both fear and anger, wishing she could shout if only to cover the sound of Gothel’s laughter and the servant girl’s squeals of surprise as she was stuck watching them.

   Alice forced herself to think clearly and focus on her limbs as she scrambled back onto all her hands and knees, fighting against the pull of magic and pulling herself away from it as best as she could. She had no doubts about what would happen to her if she allowed herself to be taken back to Gothel. So she fought against the witch’s magic with all her physical strength, clawing along the hallway and digging her fingers into the carpet and scratching her toes behind her, and in the end, she was very much surprised when she found it was actually working. The magic was still there, but it gradually became nothing more than a fierce wind that gave her a slight resistance, all the while doing nothing to forcefully stop her from moving forward. She wasn't as fast as she had been when she was running, but Alice was slowly building more space between her and her mother, even on all fours like an animal, until finally the magic pull stopped completely.

   She scrambled back onto her feet immediately, looking over her shoulder back at where Gothel was still standing a safe distance away. She had intended to start running again as soon as she was free, to get away before Gothel had the chance to try again, but now she found herself stalling and looking back instead. Gothel had paused her assault to stare down at her hands. There was something in her expression that was oddly close to fear. Something had gone wrong and Gothel couldn’t believe it.

   Meanwhile the servant girl was still pressing herself against the wall, dropping to sit down on the floor, looking back and forth from Gothel to Alice in her own mix of confused terror. She pushing back like she wanted to melt through the bricks away from them both but was otherwise frozen in place by her fear, left to watch the family drama play out in front of her.

   At first, Alice didn't understand what had happened. All she could tell was that things didn't quite work out how Gothel had expected them to. She probably meant to pull Alice right back to her feet with one flick of her fingers, but for whatever reason the magic hadn't done more than lightly pull her backwards. So it had worked, just so weakly that Alice was actually able to physically fight it simply by crawling away from her. But why would Gothel's magic be suddenly weak in a world of her literal own design? She certainly wasn't before when casting the spell. Unless...

   “The flames.” Alice said before she had even realised what she was going to say. “The spell took power from you too. It took some of your magic as well as whatever it is I have.” She felt herself smile. Even in tense times, Alice couldn't resist a good old fashion gloat when plans backfired so ironically. “You thought it would kill me and spare you, but instead, you've lost half your magical power, _mother_.”

   At the sound of her sneering nickname, Gothel finally looked up at her again. There was a look in her eyes like Alice had just insulted her most treasured possession in the worst way possible. It would have been almost funny if Alice wasn't still very worried about Gothel killing her. After all, magic wasn't the only way to commit murder and Gothel looked more than capable of strangulation if she could just get close enough to wrap her hands around Alice’s throat.

   But despite all her worries, Alice still didn’t take the chance to run away. If Gothel was having trouble catching her, then maybe she didn't need to run away. In fact, if her magic was really weakened, maybe there was a chance to Alice could actually defeat her here and now, to end it all before it even got started...

   While Alice pondered her chance on choking Gothel out or physically bludgeoning her with whatever heavy object she could get her hands on (there was a fancy looking vase sat closely to her left), Gothel snapped out of her shock and turned her attention to the servant girl still cowering by her side. The girl whimpered under her sharp gaze and quickly dropped her head in a sort of bow while still sitting with her back pressed against the wall. While the girl shrunk into a tight ball and Alice watched suspiciously, Gothel seemed to seriously consider her for a moment, and the look on her face left a cold feeling run down Alice’s spine, though she wasn’t sure why, but she had a sudden desire to stop her from whatever it was she was planning.

   Then, before Alice could make a move to stop her, the older woman reached out her hand and flicked her wrist at the young servant girl. Much like Alice, the servant girl was caught by surprise and could offer no protection as her neck was twisted to the side so hard and suddenly that it let out an audible snap that echoed through the halls. She was dead before her body had even finished slumping back against the wall she had just been cowering against.

   Alice didn’t even have time to react, at first. And when she did, all she could do was reach up and cover her mouth with both hands to hold in the scream that threatened to break free while taking a sharp step back. She hadn't known the girl, but she had been young and, as far as Alice could tell, an innocent. She was a bystander that was literally caught in the middle of the most unfortunate series of events possible. And now she was dead. Just like that. Through the thin glaze of tears slowly covering her eyes, Alice looked to find her mother glaring straight at her now with so much hate that it was almost shocking one person could loath someone else that much.

   “Weak. But not a weakling.” Gothel noted through a tight jaw.

   “Did you... You killed her... Why?” Alice croaked.

   “I simply needed someone to test my power on. I had to check I wasn’t completely rusty.” Gothel said simply, flexing her fingers and staring at her hand like she was examining a freshly painted manicure.

   “You killed her… Just to test your magic.” Alice whispered, letting her hands drop to her side, feeling suddenly numb and stupid for not realising she would try something as cold and cruel as that. Maybe if she had, she could have done something to protect that poor girl, and allow them both the chance to escape.

   Gothel ignored her, raising a hand towards her once again, though much more serious and with more concentration this time. The pull of magic hit for a second time, and Alice almost let herself be carried away by it, so caught up in her own self pity that she barely managed to catch herself before she was knocked to the floor for the third time in the space of fifteen minutes. Forcibly shaking off the last of her previous shock and dragging herself away from her once more, Alice began using all her muscles to fight against the force that seemed to grab her entire body at once and tugging constantly against all of her limbs.

   There was a long moment of the two struggling against one another. Gothel’s weakened magic Vs Alice’s physical resistance. At first it seemed like neither of them was making any progress but then Alice realised that she was slowly pulling away from her, one small step at a time. Gothel was concentrating so much on her magic that she couldn’t even chase after her whilst using it at the same time and after a few more seconds of their struggle, she lowered her hand and released Alice from her hold.

   In that moment Alice knew she had to get out of there. She had to get away before Gothel realised she could easily try another magic trick to get her – Alice had seen her share of fireballs to know that, weak or not, they could cause some serious damage. After all, there was no telling what Gothel’s actual limits were. Just because she couldn’t physically drag Alice towards her, didn’t mean she couldn’t hurt her or temporarily find a way to restrain her, and this wasn’t even including the fact that she could still use one of the pieces of china on the floor to simply stab Alice if she could close the distance between them on foot.

   Alice turned to run away but her mother’s next words made her pause. “Run little rabbit. Because when I catch you, your death won't be nearly as clean as hers.” Gothel nodded at the servant girl as she took a step closer when Alice glanced over her shoulder one last time. “Or you can spare yourself the pain and spare the lives of anyone else who gets in my way and just give up now.”

   No more hesitation. This time when Alice turned around, she ran without stop.

**To Be Continued...**

_Chapter Three: Escape - Sneak Peek:_  
_“Is this Hyperion Heights or the Enchanted Forest?!” Alice shouted, pushing him harder into the wall._  
_“I don't even know where Hyperion Heights is! I've never heard it before!” The man cried. “We're in the Enchanted Forest, same place we've always been!”_  
_Alice glared at him. “Who is Mother Gothel to you?!”_  
_“Who-?” He began to ask then quickly changed his mind when he saw her angry expression. “Sh-She's our Empress! Ruler of the land! I'm loyal to only her, I swear!” The man gasped, tears beginning to trail down his cheeks.  
_ _“That's enough, Alice.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So thanks for everyone who's come back for chapter two. It's just a build up for now but we're going to meet some familiar faces very soon and things are going to pick up fast once we do.
> 
> Also, because this story started during the mid season, there may be certain things in canon that don't fit in with my own story, however I will also try to incorporate as much canon as I can - as you will see in later chapters with a certain character. No spoilers, but if you've seen the latest episode you can probably guess what I'm talking about.
> 
> Please comment, tell me what you think of the chapter, tell me what you think is going to happen in the next chapter, tell me what you wish would happen, tell me what you last saw in cinema, just tell me something!  
> Thank you! ;) <3


	3. Escape

   Alice had absolutely no idea where she was going. As she ran down the corridor she was acutely aware that she could very well be running herself into a dead end rather than an exit, but she had little choice. Her only other option was to risk the chance that Gothel could get her hands on her and while Alice had her doubts about _what_ exactly she would do when she did, she still had a pretty good general idea how it would end for her.

   So instead, Alice blindly charged ahead at top speed. She kept her eyes open for any sign of a staircase that might lead down to an exit on the ground floor and allow her to escape from this awful place, wherever it was. She still did not fully know what it was Gothel had done – she had succeeding in her plan to change the world, that was clear, but Alice was completely in the dark on the details of it. But even though she had managed to change all their lives, surely she couldn't actually wipe people out of existence. Alice had to find her father, Robin and Rumplestiltskin and she had to find them before Gothel realised they were still out there and sought after them herself.

   Despite not knowing what way led to where, Alice ran without hesitation, even when she passed a dozen doorways. She dashed down the corridors so fast that she barely had a chance to take in the scenery around her. Every now and then she caught glimpse of something, like one of the many fancy looking wooden doors, or a flash of a golden picture frame, or a never-ending line of strange flowers and plant life sitting against the wall or on tables and hangers from the ceiling, but she was always long gone before she could take in anything more than that. The only thing she was able to make solid note of was the lack of any other people around. Apart from the servant girl (whom Alice was doing her best to not think about), there seemed to be no one else here with them.

   After what felt like an eternal run – like something out of a nightmare where the corridor was always out of reach no matter how hard you pushed yourself – Alice finally saw a drop at the end of the hall that could only be a staircases decent. She dived for it and nearly lost her balance, barely grabbing to the wall in time to keep from being pitched head first down the steps. When she had her feet safely back under her, she began to take the steps two, three, sometimes four at a time, slamming even more loudly on the each of the turning points as she rounded them and kept going without pause. When she got the hang of it, she began to jump the wooden rail altogether, bouncing down the stairs without a second thought as to what she might be running into once she reached the bottom. She had no idea if Gothel was giving chase just seconds behind her, or if she had gone to find a way to rebuild her magic power first or get help or what, but no matter what she was doing, Alice didn't pause long enough to care. All she cared about right now was getting out of this place and finding the others as quickly as possible.

   The staircase, for the most part, was made of plain concrete with a fancy wooden banister trailing along the side, looking practically freshly polished but with very dim candle lighting hanging from the walls. It was like a mix of caring deeply about how it looked and not really caring at all. Despite the many candles that were hung around them, some areas of the steps were still almost pitch black and covered in shadows, and Alice found herself jumping past those spaces even faster as if she could feel something waiting to jump out and grab at her the second she was within reach.

   When Alice finally reached the last set of stairs (what felt like a lifetime later), her anticipation may have gotten her a little ahead of her as she jumped much higher than she had before, causing her to lose her balance when she hit the ground floor harder than she realised she would. While she managed to land on her feet, the force nearly twisted an ankle and she was pitched forward, so she was still left on her hands and knees with an echoing slapping sound from the impact. Alice winced at the sting of pain the impact left on her palms and knees, a pain that rocked up throughout the rest of her body, jarring her to the bone. It left her momentarily stunned and distracted when a hand appeared in front of her face.

   She reacted so fast that she barely heard the person asking her if she was alright before she had thrown herself back away from their hand with a surprised gasp of fear. She fully expected to find Gothel standing over her with that same smug smile on her lips as before but instead she found herself looking up at an older man dressed in an uncomfortably tight looking grey suit. He was bald apart from the light grey goatee around his thin lips and thick eyebrows above dull brown eyes, which were currently narrowed into a nervous frown as he stared down at her.

   “Mistress?” The man said, his voice quivering. “I apologise. I did not mean to startle you.”

   “It's fine!” Alice said, jumping to her feet. “I'm fine.” The man winced at her sudden movement and took a small step back but didn't leave. Alice glanced nervously over her shoulder, but the stairs were deserted and there was no sign of Gothel… For now. “I... I need to leave.” Alice said, hoping she could convince this man to help her in some way. She couldn’t just keep running around blindly if she wanted to escape. “I need to get out of here, now. Show me to the nearest exit. Please.” Her voice became desperate towards the end of that sentence and she knew she had long since passed the point of sounding manic.

   “What?” The man was completely taken aback by her request for some reason and took another step away from her.

   Alice felt her nerves reaching their limit. Gothel could show up at any moment, and Alice wasn’t sure she would be able to escape from her a second time. Because of that, her nerves quickly turned into a mixture of blind panic and tense irritation. She tried to tell herself to stay calm and steady, that she needed a clear mind right now if she was going to get away but her body was no longer listening. Alice reacted, grabbing the man by his shirt and slamming him into the wall, pinning him in place with her leg dangerously close to his groin to keep him from attempting to break free, not that he was trying. He seemed to go limp as soon as Alice had taken a step towards him.

   “Please, Mistress-!” The man began to beg.

   “Shut up!” Alice snapped. “I don't know what's going on but I'm sick of hearing people call me that! Just answer my questions already! Where are we?!”

   “We're...  We're at your home!” The man stuttered fearfully.

   “My home?! Where is my home? Are we in Hyperion Heights or the Enchanted Forest?!” Alice demanded, pulling him forward and slamming him back against the wall.

   “I don't understand...” The man squeaked fearfully.

   “Is this Hyperion Heights or the Enchanted Forest?!” Alice shouted, pushing him harder into the wall.

   “I don't even know where Hyperion Heights is! I've never heard it before!” The man cried. “We're in the Enchanted Forest, the same place we've always been!”

   Alice glared at him. “Who is Mother Gothel to you?!”

   “Who-?” He began to ask then quickly changed his mind when he saw the feral expression on her face. “Sh-She's our Empress! Ruler of the land! I'm loyal to only her, I swear!” The man gasped, tears beginning to trail down his pale wrinkled cheeks.

   “That's enough, Alice.”

   The voice belonged to Gothel, but when Alice jumped back away from the man and looked around, she couldn't see the woman anywhere. She wasn’t in the long corridor or in any of the many doorways lining up opposite one another on either side of the wall. Alice glanced over her shoulder but Gothel wasn't in the stairwell she had just bounded down either. But, she was sure that it was her voice that she had heard so clearly just now, so where...

   “Attention, all my loyal subjects.” Gothel's said, her words echoing slightly before Alice realised she was using her magic to project her voice throughout the building. She wondered how much effort that trick was taking her to do in her current state. “My daughter is very ill. She seems to be hallucinating a wild story about another world known as Hyperion Heights. I ask you to please detain her so that I may tend to her and cure her of these delusions. Anyone who brings my daughter to be will be greatly rewarded.”

   Suddenly the man's expression changed. His terrified wide eyes narrowed slightly and transformed into that of a cold determination. Alice tensed and glared back at him. “Just try it.” She warned.

   The man hesitated, the fear returning to his expression for a flicker of a moment and Alice took the chance to get away from him, putting some much desired space between them. She didn't doubt that she could handle him – a lifetime of surviving after her escape from the tower had practically trained her for this – but it would waste valuable time and effort and give Gothel all the chances she needed to catch up.

   Alice began making her way down a hallway that was almost identical to the one she had just gotten through upstairs. There was just one major difference between the two. And that was that almost all the doors along the walls were being thrown open, one after another and people were springing out of them like rabbits, each trying to grab hold of her and force her down to the floor, so they could drag her back to Gothel for their promised reward. A good percentage of the people who stepped out in front of her hesitated or seemed to wilt under her when she glared at them and most of them stepped back out of her way immediately or froze up as she dashed past. It seemed this other version of herself had quite the reputation and was, surprisingly, someone to be truly feared.

   Unfortunately, not everyone was so easy to avoid or scare off with just a quick look. A few of the more courageous people jumped out before they could hesitate and made desperate grabs at Alice the second they had a chance. For the most part she was able to duck and dodge their grabbing hands and outstretched arms, sometimes practically dancing as she spun out of their way and jumped them when they literally fell over themselves in order to try and catch her. The building that had been dead and deserted just minutes earlier was suddenly crowded to the brim with people piling out into the long space around her.

   A woman in a white kitchen coat grabbed a hold of Alice's ankle when she made to jump over her. The woman had been one of those to fall in her attempt at leaping out but hadn’t been stalled and instantly rolled over and reached up after her. The grip she got on her foot surprised her and Alice was tripped up, falling down to land awkwardly with one leg bent and the other stretched out behind her. She knew she had a gap of exactly three seconds before they would all fall on top of her and she would be trapped.

   Rolling onto her back, Alice lifted both her feet, putting them together and kicking the woman straight in the face as hard as she could. The blow caused her to let go and fall back away from Alice into a few people unlucky enough to stumble in her way, dropping like pins on top of one another. Once the woman had let go, Alice didn't bother jumping to her feet, since people were already towering over her at the ready, and so she instead kept rolling her body until her back hit the wall. It wasn't far but even a few extra seconds could make a big difference and Alice was able to use those extra seconds to jump onto her feet and start running again. The people who had nearly caught up were now inches behind her but still just barely out of reach.

   But even with that little advantage Alice knew she was in trouble. There were too many people chasing after her now and they were slowly closing the gap. It wouldn't be long before they were close enough to grab a handful of her hair or her arm or leg and drag her back into their hold, and then they would be free to take her to Gothel who would no doubt dispose of her quickly and cleanly, if not painfully. If she was going to get away, she needed to escape the whole building and right away. But the hallway continued to stretch in an endless line of doors to other rooms and walls with no visible windows. Alice was beginning to wonder if there even was a way out, or if Gothel had used her limited magic to trap her here and she was just running around in circles.

   Alice’s best hope was to take a chance and pray she didn’t just make things worse for herself.

   Turning to one of the many open doors, Alice pushed the person coming through out of the way and dived inside. That seemed to catch everyone off guard and gave her a few more extra seconds. Those that didn't skid comically to a slow stop accidentally ran into those that did. Most barely managed to stay on their feet, and those that did were so surprised that they only turned around in time for Alice to slam the door in their faces. Then, she turned and grabbed the first thing she could, a chest of draws that she dragged in front of the door to block it and keep anyone else from coming in.

   There was a loud bang as someone tried to follow her through, but while the door and draws shook against the force of their blow, neither moved to allow anyone inside. A few more hits and they might be able to force it open, but Alice planned to be long gone by then.

   Alice turned and looked around the rest of the room. It was deserted now so it seemed Alice's luck wasn't completely shit. It was a small tight room with a series of draws against the wall and a large table in the middle that had multicoloured fabrics stretched out over its surface. It seemed Gothel had her clothes made personally here. Not that Alice looked very hard into the rest of it. The only thing that she was looking for was now directly opposite her. A window to the outside.

   Alice climbed over the table, treading on the material and kicking needles and buttons that were in her way to the floor, scattering them with loud clattering sounds affects that were covered only by the people still in the hallway. The banging on the door continued but Alice ignored all of it, jumping down across the room and pushing at the window with both hands. She was momentarily taken by surprise and nearly hit her forehead when the window didn’t budge against her weight. It seemed Gothel's generosity to her servants only went as far as light and not actual fresh air.

   Without hesitating – the banging behind her was now being followed with a subtle scrape of a wooden leg being dragged across stone flooring – Alice grabbed the heaviest object within arm’s reach. She didn’t look at what it was, just that it was box shaped, big and clunky and perfect for the job. Alice spun around and threw it straight into the window with all her strength, shattering the glass as soon as it made contact. It dropped outside with a loud thud, pieces of glass following. Behind her, the people trying to get out suddenly went quiet, and then they redoubled their efforts with twice as much force as before. The draws behind her were making longer scratching sounds now and a series of hands were forcing their way through the gap by the wall, clawing for the handle and the draws desperately. It wouldn't be long before they were in.

   The hole in the window wasn't very large, and there were sharp jagged pieces sticking dangerously close to the centre. There was no way she could crawl through it without tearing her legs and arms to ribbons and she really couldn’t risk bleeding out. Looking around again, Alice noticed a golden candle holder that was currently missing its candle sat on the edge of the table. She grabbed it and began to slap it around the window, knocking down the last few pieces of glass still hanging on and clearing the way for her. Only then did she toss the holder over her shoulder and pull herself through the now much larger gap. She still managed to cut her palms and legs a little, but not as badly and they would heal before long without much trouble.

   Alice jumped down from the window as the shawl on her shoulders caught on a piece of glass still clinging to its frame and was ripped off. She didn’t even entertain the idea of pausing to pull it free. Instead she kept her eyes ahead of her, running through an open field that had blades of grass so tall that they scratched halfway up her legs, just above her boots and under her skirt no matter how much she stomped down on them. This side of Gothel’s home was almost empty of life, not even with any forests of thick crowded trees in the way of its open fields, which was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because it meant no one else could surprise her or jump out and catch her off guard, but a curse because, at the same time, it left her with nowhere to hide, leaving her with no other option but to push on.

   She refused to stop or slow, knowing that Gothel’s servants could be on her at any moment. She ignored the scratching of the grass that irritated her skin, the parts of ground that grew so soft that the heels of her shoes began to sink and threw her off balance, and the cold of the wind that left her chilled through the thin material of her skirt and what little material of there was along her torso. And a short time later, she ignored the sweat as she warmed through, to the point of welcoming the cold chilly wind and even wished for more of it.

   Through it all, Alice ran. Even when her sides began to stitch painfully, even when her feet hurt and felt like they might blister, even when she grew so hot that the wind was no longer enough to keep her cool and her breathing caused her as much pain as everything else. Alice kept running even through all of that until there was completely out of breath and even then, she pushed herself just a little bit further when she finally saw that the open field came to an end. She finally reached the edge of a forest before her body gave up on her and she was collapsing at the base of the closest solid object she could hide behind of, surrounded by a series of tall skinny trees spread far apart from one another in every direction.

   After Alice had collapsed, she lay on the ground, gasping for breath with a dry mouth and a burning sensation in her chest. It was the hardest she had ever forced herself to go in a long time and for a second, all she could feel was an endless pain that rocked its way throughout her entire body as her limbs screamed in protest at the idea of ever moving again. Her cuts were stinging and everything else just felt bruised. She was desperately thirsty and would have given a leg for a glass of cold water but instead had to settle for licking her lips and swallowing hard until her mouth began to hydrate itself. Finally, she pushed herself up into a sitting position and took the time to glance back in the direction she had run and bit back a scream of frustration – if only because she was too tired to manage much more than a slight groan.

   It was impossible for her to tell for how long she had been running for, but it had felt like hours, at least. Yet Gothel’s home – which turned out to be a tall castle straight out of an old fashion story book – was still clearly within her sight. It was larger than any castle she had ever seen but still, after running for so long, Alice was sure it would at least be a speck in the distance but this one looked close enough that she could take a casual stroll towards it if she wanted.

   With a half whimper, half cry, Alice forced herself to focus on the positives of her current situation. She had escaped from the castle and from Gothel; that was one point to her (maybe one and a half). There didn’t appear to be anyone chasing her across the fields; that was another point. And she had all her memories intact, which was another point! So there, already she had three and a half good points in her favour.

   Now she just needed to find points four, five and six.

**O*U*A*T**

   Despite her aching body and the incredibly dryness of her throat, Alice forced herself to stand up and start walking after only a few minutes of rest. Even if she couldn’t see anyone giving chase, that didn’t mean they wouldn’t follow after her soon and Alice wanted as much space between her and Gothel as she could get.

   There was no obvious pathway for her to follow into the forest, so the ground became very uneven in places with natural bumps and rocks to get in her way, but the trees were thin and far apart so they didn’t cause her much issue past the few overgrown roots that happened to loop up in the ground like they were specifically designed to trip people, and even they were few and far between at best. However, with the good always came the bad, and because of the trees being thin and far from one another, they didn’t offer her much shelter, or a place where she might hide behind if she came into any trouble. For that, she was just going to have to rely on her ability to fight them off or run away – both of which seemed impossible in her current exhausted state.

   Though a quick look over her shoulder confirmed that it seemed Gothel really wasn’t sending anyone after her at this moment in time. Alice felt like she should be more worried about it, since not knowing what Gothel was thinking was much worse than knowing her evil plans, but she was just too relieved to have so much space between them to waste any of her time worrying about what she might be doing. There would be plenty of time to fret about everything else once she had found Robin and all the others, wherever they were.

   Now that she was walking again, she realised she had absolutely no idea how to even begin finding them in this new world. Gothel could have done anything with them. For all Alice knew they could be back in her castle, locked up in a dungeon underground and she was running in the opposite direction of saving them. But she was just going to have to hope they weren’t. Not only did she really not want to have to return to that horrible place, but Alice also knew that no matter what the reasons, the next time she walked through those doors back into the castle, unless she had all her friends and family by her side, she would not be leaving it again.

   Alice didn’t have any other choices, so for now, she just kept walking. Maybe if she kept walking for long enough then… Well, maybe she’d get lucky.

**O*U*A*T**

   Alice heard the horse’s hooves stomping towards her a good minute or so before she saw the animals long faces. Her first reaction was to duck behind a bush and hide out of sight, only there anything big enough for her to hide behind. Her second reaction was to start running, despite the fact that she was still so tired, but she knew instantly that the horses could catch her with ease, and the trees were still so far apart that it wasn’t even like she could go where they would be unable to follow.

   Then, before she could think of anything else, the horses came charging down the road and she let herself relax when they came into sight. She saw soon enough that they weren’t any form of official Empress horses that belonged to her mother’s people. They were run down and filthy, pulling an old cart that was full of balls of hay with two elder people sitting on top, steering them while they spoke to one another, not noticing Alice even when they were right on top of her.

   This, Alice could handle. She stepped back and held still as their cart strolled past, just in case movement caught their attention. After it had passed by, she turned to run after it, grabbing onto the back and heaving herself up onto the edge of the cart. It wasn’t easy. The cart was overly stuffed with the hay bales and there was little room for anything (or anyone) else, but Alice was good at forcing herself into tight places when she needed to, even if it meant she was half hanging off and just barely clinging to the side the whole way. It was far from comfortable, but at least it gave her feet a bit of a rest and allowed her a little more time to catch her breath. She just wished there was a bowl of water somewhere she could quench her thirst with and get rid of the dry itching along the front and back of her throat and the foul taste clinging to her gums.

   But, despite all her woes, at least this ride was something. And, at this point, Alice was desperate for any kind of _something_.

   The only problem with getting a ride was that it then left her with nothing else to do but think about her current problems and Alice’s usual imagination decided it was high time to scare her with all the worst case possible scenarios. One of which being that, while Gothel surely couldn’t just wipe her friends and family out of existence with her little trick, that didn’t stop her from killing them off now that they were here and in her domain. Or what if she had erased their real memories and put something much worse in their place? What if they thought Gothel was some wondrous Empress and they were evil just like her?

   The worried thoughts made her feel sick, but at the same time it also made the trip go much faster than she realised (or maybe they just weren’t that far from town when she had been picked up) and before long the cart was rolling through a small village that was packed with groups of people, none of whom she recognised. As soon as they were deep enough in the town, Alice jumped from the cart, relieved to be able to stretch her legs and move around on her own now that she had a rest. The awkward angle she had been sitting in for the whole journey had left her numb with pins and needles along her legs and backside, making the blisters on her feet a much more welcome pain.

   But at the very least it had gotten her here (Alice was including that as another point) and she began to make her way over to where she could see a series of badly built wooden stalls were lined up side by side to one another. It looked like a local market.

   Best place to start as any.

   Alice approached the nearest stall where a woman was selling a variety of fruits that all looked like they had seen better days yet still made her mouth water. “Excuse me?” She asked politely once she was within earshot.

   The woman looked up with a bright and friendly smile. A smile that quickly turned into a look of utter horror and she threw herself back like she had been sucker punched, knocking over half the fruits on her stall to the floor and dropping to the ground with them when she lost her balance. It was so surprising that Alice found herself standing shell shocked for a moment, watching the woman scramble to get back onto her feet before she dropped forward into a position that matched the servant girl back in Gothel’s castle.

   Her crashing had drawn the attention of the other people surrounding them and each of them seemed to have similar reactions of shock and fear. A few people dropped whatever they had in their arms, while others all out turned around and sprinted away from her like she had the plague. One child burst into loud tears, turning and clinging to his mother who hugged him close, looking on the verge of tears herself. It was such a crazy reaction that Alice had no idea how to respond and stood there watching them with the heat going to her face and her mouth hanging open.

   “Um…” Alice said but nothing came to mind so she ended up just standing there in silence.

   “Mistress…” The woman bowing behind the fruit stall croaked. “Forgive us. We had not expected a visit from your today. What may I do to be of assistance?”

   Before Alice could reply, someone was calling out. “My Mistress, how would you like a new dress, I have the finest material for you?”

   “Please accept this offer!” Another cried right after, and a bouquet of flowers were thrown at her feet.

   “You can have this!” Someone else shouted and a rug was thrown to the ground behind her.

   Suddenly everyone was throwing things, begging her to take them for free while the people who had been shopping seemed to slide back out of view, taking the chance to make a break for it. If the people managing the stalls didn’t look so terrified, Alice might have thought that was their plan. Even after someone had thrown something they didn’t stop. Instead just grabbed something else in their stall, giving away every single item they had while begging her to accept each of them. It looked like they were going to keep going until they had nothing left at this rate.

   “ENOUGH!” Alice shouted, and everyone froze, even the people still trying to make an escape paused mid step. The last few items thrown her way dropped to the floor and there was a deafening silence that followed them.

   “We’ll give you whatever you want!” One last person shouted.

   “Oh, shut up!” Alice snapped. “I don’t want anything from you people!” Alice took a breath, calming herself down and addressing everyone now. “I’m looking for someone-” She began.

   A woman shrieked and there was a clatter as they knocked something to the floor, either from running away or diving for cover. Alice didn’t bother looking. Instead she just rolled her eyes, trying not to lose her temper with these people. She didn’t understand everything, but she did understand that they were just scared. It wasn’t their fault, not really.

   “Look, I’m just looking for a friend.” Alice sighed, turning and looking at everyone one at a time. “As soon as you tell me where I can find them, I’ll leave you all in peace.” When no one made any further screaming attempts to run away from her, she continued. “Her name is Robin. She lives with her mother, Zelena, possibly on a farm?”

   No response. They all just continued to stare at her like frightened house pets.

   “Do you not know or are you just refusing to tell me?” Alice said with an irritated huff.

   Still, no one spoke. Their faces were frozen with terrified expressions but now Alice was no longer sure if it was because they knew and were keeping quiet or if it was just because they were scared of her in general, so much so that they daren’t say anything at all.

   “Fine. Whatever.” Alice grumbled, turning away from them towards the town.

   She probably could have tried another scare tactic like with the man back at Gothel’s castle but decided not to bother. She was too tired and felt too much pity for these people. They were so terrified of her, and there was a chance they would lie if they thought they were just telling her what she wanted to hear so why bother risking it. Maybe someone in town would answer her, and if they didn’t know where Robin was, maybe they knew where her papa or Rumplestiltskin were instead. It might also be an idea to get someone alone and ask them individually rather than in a large group.

   “Why are you looking for me?” A voice suddenly shouted through the silence.

   Alice froze mid step. Her heart fluttered in her chest and she found herself moving slowly, like if she moved too fast then she might scare the other girl off and ruin everything.

   But when she had turned around, she saw the crowd of people had parted, and between them, standing in the middle of the pathway, was Robin. She looked beautiful, just as she had before Gothel had cast this curse. Or even before that, back before Drizella cast the curse, back in her old hunting gear from the Enchanted Forest with her hair pulled back into a single long golden plait behind her back and her bow in hand and quiver of arrows positioned over her shoulder at the ready.

   “Robin!” Alice whispered, completely forgetting about her earlier worries or the many people still surrounding and watching them. All she cared about was that Robin here and she was okay. She was here and Gothel hadn’t done anything to hurt her or change who she was. She wasn’t evil or a blind follower of Gothel. She was still Robin.

   Alice broke from her trance, dashing over to Robin with the intention and wrapping her in her arms, lifting her off her feet and kissing her senseless as she spun her around like in old romance films. However, she didn’t get more than halfway closer to her when Robin loaded an arrow into her bow and lifted it up, aiming it directly at Alice’s heart, and causing her to skid to a sharp stop in front of her.

   “One more move and I kill you where you stand.” Robin said coldly, glaring at Alice with a look of complete and utter hatred.

**To Be Continued...**

_Chapter Four: Together Again - Sneak Peek:_  
_"How far away do you live?" Alice shouted, struggling to keep up with Robin's frantic pace._  
_"Just on the other side of town!" Robin shouted back._  
_"Gothel's had almost a full day in this world already!" Alice called. "She's been distracted because of me but we have to hurry!"_  
_They fell silent, Robin pushing even further ahead as they made their way back to town...  
_ _Alice didn't realise what was about to happen until they were both running through the middle of town. Only then did she hear a snapping sound and suddenly something wrapped around her ankles, tripping her up off of her feet and throwing her down to the ground._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: Changed the Sneak Peek because it was a long chapter so I've split it in half.
> 
> Oooooooooo! Drama! But hey, at least Robin's here again... Even if she hates Alice... Anyway, I promise, this is where the story really starts picking up!
> 
> Please comment, tell me what you think of the chapter, tell me what you think is going to happen in the next chapter, tell me what you wish would happen, tell me your favourite colour, just tell me something!  
> Thank you! ;) <3


	4. Together Again

   “Robin…” Alice whispered, staring at her in disbelief, automatically shuffling forward slightly and reaching for her, despite the weapon still aimed for her heart. “Don’t you recognise me?”

   “Oh, we all recognise you, _Mistress_.” She sneered at the nickname. “Now you are going to turn around, walk away, and leave these good people in peace.”

   “I…” Alice hesitated, glancing around. All the people still looked terrified when she caught their eyes, but a lot of them also looked relieved and a couple were almost close to smiling when they looked towards Robin. “I wasn’t trying to disturb any of them. I just wanted to find you.” She finished lamely.

   “Yeah, I heard you. And I’ll ask you just one more time. Why are you looking for me?” Robin demanded.

   “Because I…” Alice stumbled. But she couldn’t find the words. She was too stunned speechless. Despite everything her imagination could, and did, conjure up during the journey ride here, she really hadn’t expected _this_. She imagined Robin being turned evil and loving that Gothel was the one in charge. She imagined her love being dead. She even imagined her simply not recognising Alice at all when she finally found her. But Alice never imagined that she would recognise and _hate_ her. What was she supposed to say to that? How was she supposed to reach her true love when she loathed deeply enough to threaten her life like this?

   “Robin!”

   For a moment, Robin’s attention was pulled away, but so was Alice’s and just about everyone else who was watching them. Almost as one, they all turned just in time to see Robin’s mother rushing through the market towards them. Like Robin, Zelena looked exactly how she had when Alice had last seen her in the Enchanted Forest before the original curse was cast, right down to the bright green dress she wore and the way her hair was bundled up out of the way on the top of her head. The only difference between then and now was the expression she had on her face. Every other time Alice had ever seen Zelena, she always had a soft, sometimes knowing smile on her face as she watched the girls run off together, but now, like everyone else, she just looked scared.

   “I am so sorry, Mistress!” Zelena said, a little breathless as she reached over and grabbed onto Robin’s arm, forcing her hand down and causing her to release the bow string and embed the arrow into the ground at her feet. Zelena then held her hand out towards Alice, bowing low as everyone else had. “My daughter, she is a true hunter all the way through. All muscle. No brains in her thick skull.”

   “Mother-” Robin hissed. She was turning red in the face but she looked more angry than embarrassed.

   “Be quiet!” Zelena snapped, turning back to Alice and bowing again, barely daring to look up at her as she did like even just looking at Alice would cause trouble. “I apologise continually, Mistress. I promise you. My daughter shall be thoroughly punished once I get her home.”

   Robin glared at her mother for a moment, like debating whether or not she would keep fighting her, before she turned the glare on Alice, still burning red in the face, only for the colour to fade and her expression to shift into a frown of confusion instead. At first Alice didn’t understand why she was frowning at her like that – Zelena was keeping her head down and she couldn’t see the expressions of everyone else still surrounding them to see if they were reacting the same way – but then Alice felt the tears breaking free and trailing down her cheeks. She was crying. And now that she realised it, the tears came down in a rush that she couldn’t find the strength to stop.

   Pressing her lips together in an attempt to hold back the sobs building in her throat, Alice did the only thing she could do. The only thing she had done since being thrown into this damn world. She spun away from the two women in front of her and broke into another run. Her body was slow to respond at first. She was still stiff and aching and she wasn’t going to be able to keep pushing herself like this for much longer, but somehow she found a new strength hiding somewhere inside her as desperation won out enough in order to get away from her true love’s scornful expression.

   The true love that, despite everything they had been through, now hated her enough to threaten her very life. Of all the things Gothel could have done to her in this hellish personal world of hers, this was absolutely the _most_ cruel.

   She didn’t know what she was going to do now. The plan had been to find Robin, find her father, find Rumplestiltskin and figure out a way to defeat Gothel once they were all together again. But now… Everything had changed. Now, she didn’t know what the future held for her without Robin to stand by her side.

   However, she did know what to do in the present moment. And that was to run away, find a place she could be alone, and cry over her breaking heart.

**O*U*A*T**

   In the end, Alice found she couldn’t run nearly as far as she had wanted to. She ended up back in amongst the trees and away from the town houses and market where she had left Robin and her mother. It was much like the forest she had gone into in order to escape her mother’s castle; empty, thin and far apart trees with branches too high overhead to be of any use. Only this area looked like it was dying. The grass was brown, and the leaves were brittle and crumbled at the slightest touch, not that Alice really paid all that much attention to the details of her surroundings. She was too busy focussed on her own misery. When her body finally had enough, Alice dropped to the ground, crawling slightly to sit against the nearest tree before burying her face in her arms, sobbing for long after her tears had dried up, leaving her with dry gasps that made her feel like heaving, but she didn’t even have the strength for that.

   Part of her knew that she should just move on and find the others. Just because Robin hated her, didn’t mean her father and Rumplestiltskin would. She should go in search of them so they undo the spell and she could be reunited with _her_ Robin. But despite knowing that’s what she _should_ be doing, she still couldn’t bring herself to do it.

   Alice was feeling so weak. The sight of Robin’s complete and utter loathing for her had stabbed deeper than any arrow could have and she was exhausted emotionally and mentally as well as physically. She couldn’t even stand, let alone continue her travels. Speaking of which, she wasn’t even sure where she was travelling to now. Finding Robin had been a complete and utter fluke. She doubt that she was going to get lucky the second-time round. And yet she had no other idea what she could do but rely on luck. When she asked the villagers for help, they had all been too afraid to even confess that Robin was standing right behind her. There was no way they would tell her where anyone else was, and that was if they even knew.

   Part of her knew she had to come up with a plan and get moving. A big part of her. She needed to get her hands on some money, maybe get some weapons and then maybe she could bribe or threaten some answers from some other people she encountered along the way. But again, that would require the one thing she didn’t have: energy. She was more tired now than she had ever been before and all she could manage was to continue crying into her arms, sniffing and wiping her face on the bottom of her skirt every few seconds before the tears came back again, just as hard as the ones before.

   Alice was crying so hard that she didn’t even hear Robin’s approach on the loudly crunching ground, not over her own ragged breathing. She only realised the other girl was hovering a little away from her when she heard her speak.

   “I don’t think I’ve ever seen royalty crying in the dirt before.” Robin said.

   Alice jumped in surprise, lifting her head to look up at her. She had her arrow notched back into place against her bow again, but it was pointed down to the ground by her side. Available for a quick attack, but at the same time, not an immediate threat.

   “I’m not royalty.” Alice said, finally, wiping the last few tears from her cheeks. For a moment she had been hopeful that Robin had snapped out of it and come to reunite with her, but now she just realised she had come to watch her mope out of casual curiosity. She still didn’t recognise her. Still didn’t remember their love for each other.

   “Your mother is the Empress. Of course, you’re royalty.” Robin sneered.

   Something inside her twisted and threatened to snap. “Stop looking at me like that!” Alice shouted, wrapping her arms around her legs for comfort.

   “Like what?” Robin frowned.

   “Like you hate me.” Alice whispered, resisting the urge to bury her face in her knees and hide away from the world.

   “I do.” Robin said coldly. “You and your mother have caused this world nothing but pain and misery ever since you-”

   “No, I haven’t!” Alice interrupted, lifting her head and glaring up at her. “I haven’t done any of that! It’s all lies! None of this is real!”

   Robin’s frown deepened slightly, and she shook her head. “Okay, I’ll bite. What are you talking about? And why are you crying out here without your personal guards protecting you?” She paused, before adding; “And why did you look like you wanted to _hug_ me earlier?”

   “Because I did.” Alice whispered before pushing herself back onto her feet, leaning back against the tree and looking at Robin shyly. She was trying not to get her hopes up again, but it was hard. If Robin was talking to her like this, maybe there was a way to break through to her and make her remember the real world.

   So, Alice told her.

   Everything.

   It was a longer story than she had meant it to be. Alice only intended to give a quick brief explanation but ended up telling Robin every little detail instead. She explained how they met and how they fell in love. She went on about their life together in much more detail than was needed before she finally told her about the curse that Drizella Tremaine put them all under in order to get revenge on her mother. Continuing to explain how it was broken and how Drizella and Gothel were defeated by their friends and family after almost three whole years of being cursed. Finally, she explained the last little bit. How Gothel had used the last of her magic to change the entire world into this personal dream for her and a nightmare for others. This twisted version of her own perfect world where she was Empress and everyone cowered beneath her as slaves and servants.

   When she was done, she was a little breathless but the weakness in her legs seemed to have gone and she was finally able to stand without aid of the tree behind her. She watched Robin’s face closely throughout the telling of her story, but the other girl gave nothing away in her expression. Occasionally her frown would deepen or twitch slightly, but it was impossible to tell if it was from scepticism or just a misunderstanding of what it was Alice was trying to explain. When she was finished, Robin stood in silence for a moment longer, taking it all in and looking her up and down slowly for the extra second.

   “You honestly expect me to believe any of that?” Robin said finally.

   “It’s the truth.” Alice insisted, a burst of pain in her stomach when she realised she had failed at not getting her hopes up.

   “It’s nonsense.” Robin said coldly.

   “It’s the truth!” Alice repeated desperately. She didn’t know what else to say at this point.

   Robin rolled her eyes, but Alice noted that her grip on the arrow was loosening. She was going to take that as a good sign if nothing else.

   “What can I say to convince you?” Alice pressed.

   “That my entire life up to this point is all fake? And that I’ve lived an entirely different life where you are my true love? Nothing you say would ever make me believe such rubbish.” Robin said, shaking her head and pulling her lips back in disgust.

   Alice hesitated, then took a small, hesitant, step forward. “What if I can show you?” She managed a small sad smile. “If you just promise not to shoot me, that is.”

   Robin squinted suspiciously at her. “How?”

   “Because you _are_ my true love.” Alice insisted. “And true love’s kiss can break any curse.”

   “You want to kiss me?” Robin snorted.

   “What harm could it do?” Alice asked, smiling slightly with a half shrug.

   “Plenty. You could have some kind of potion on your lips to poison me.” Robin said. “Or you could be trying to get close enough to stab me in the back with some hidden knife you have up your sleeve.”

   “Why would I go through all this trouble just to kill you?” Alice stressed, taking another small step towards her.

   “You tell me.” Robin said, her hands twitching as she resisted the urge to lift her bow and take aim.

   Alice hesitated before she shrugged her shoulders. “I can’t prove it. I can’t prove anything to you without you trusting me a little in return. All I can do is give you my word. I swear, Robin, I swear that in another world, you and I love each other and I would never hurt you.”

   “Not good enough.” Robin said, shaking her head. “I grew up with you and your mother ruling this land like it was a toy you could break and dismantle whenever you were bored. You may let certain Royal families have their separate kingdoms, but no one is fooled into think they’re free here. I don’t know why you really wanted me but your little trick won’t work. And it won’t work on my family either. My mother saved your life earlier but only because she knows that it would end badly for us if you turned up dead or missing. But don’t think for a moment she wouldn’t use…” Robin cut herself off sharply like she was suddenly being magically choked.

   “She wouldn’t use what?” Alice frowned.

   Robin bristled. “Nothing. My mother is bitter, but she’s still loyal to the Empress like everyone else in this village…” She said slowly through a clenched jaw, like the words were bitter in her mouth and she hated having to say them aloud.

   “Oh, for god’s sake!” Alice said sharply, rolling her eyes. “I don’t care about Gothel! Why can’t you just believe me?! I hate that woman! I want her dead just as much as you do! She abandoned me in a tower to starve to death as a baby! She raped my father just to have me, just so she _could_ abandon me! She has done nothing but hurt me and the people I care about! As far as I’m concerned, once this is all over and done with, she can be put to death once and for all and I’ll finally be free of her!”

   “You expect me to believe that?” Robin said, but she didn’t look so sure any more. “You are royalty, princess of this entire world for heaven’s sake. Your mother takes over entire fabric stores and sweat shops just to give you every pretty dress you wear, and you expect me to believe you hate her for it?”

   “That isn’t real!” Alice shouted. “None of this is!” She looked down at herself. “And even if it was, I hate this god-awful outfit! Almost as much as I hate that bitch Gothel!”

   In her frustration, she reacted with little thought. She reached down and began pulling at the side fastening of her skirt until it broke off, dropping it to the ground and kicking it into a pile in front of her. She ignored the shocked expression on Robin’s face, reaching back and pulling the top part of her outfit over her head, tearing one of the sleeves in the process before she threw it down on top of the skirt, leaving her in nothing but her boots, a light pink strapless bra and matching underwear. With her adrenaline still overtaking her chance to second guess herself, she turned to Robin and stepped towards her. Robin instantly began to raise her bow but her surprise at Alice’s stripping had thrown her off guard and Alice was able to knock the weapon to the side, grabbing Robin’s shoulder and pulling her down for a hard kiss instead.

   They had never actually used a True Love Kiss before. The only curse either of them had was Alice’s curse with her father and for whatever reason their kiss had not broken that particular curse, though Alice didn’t doubt that it had anything to do with their love. She knew it was true and powerful. Which was why she was so sure it would work now. However, before she could even begun to think of it any further, Robin got her hands between them and pushed her back, so violently that she almost lost her balance.

   “Get off me!” Robin snapped.

   Alice stalled, feeling her shoulders slump as a cold shock dripped down her like someone pouring ice water over her head. “It didn’t work…” She whispered.

   Robin hesitated, frowning at her again. “You really thought it would? Did you think I would believe you just because you kissed me?” She shook her head. “What even is your goal here?”

   Alice reached up, running her hands through her hair and fighting the urge to scream in frustration. “Robin… If you don’t believe me, then fine. I can live with that for now, but if you can bring yourself to try and trust me on just one thing, then please, please trust me when I say this.” She took a step forward, Robin tensed but no longer moved to lift her bow and Alice stopped in front of her to look her love straight in the eyes. “I want to defeat Gothel. I want her gone for good.”

   Robin stared at her. Finally, she put her arrow back in its quiver. “Call me crazy, but I do believe you. At least I believe that you want your mother gone. Whether it’s because you want to rule this land yourself and you’re just a bitter spoilt little girl or you’ve literally just lost your mind… Well, I’m not sure yet.”

   “It’s neither.” Alice insisted.

   “Okay, whatever,” Robin said, swinging the bow onto her shoulder. “So that still leaves the question about why you came looking for me? What exactly did you think I could do to help you defeat Gothel?”

   “I came looking for you because I love you.” Alice said stubbornly. Then relented when Robin silently raised an eyebrow at her. “And… Because you’re the smartest, strongest huntress I know. I figured you’d be able to help me find my father and my friend. Then we could work together and find a way to undo Gothel’s spell as a team.”

   Robin rolled her eyes. “Can we stop with this spell nonsense? If you want to unseat your mum then fine, I don’t think you’ll keep it, but you are welcome to try.”

   “I’m not…” Alice began but stopped herself, sighing. “Okay, believe what you want, Robin. It doesn’t really matter so long as you help. Because if you help me, then I know we can beat Gothel once and for all.”

   “And how do I know this whole thing isn’t just an elaborate trick?” Robin frowned.

   “You just said you believed me!” Alice yelped.

   “I also said, ‘call me crazy’.” Robin added. “Just because I believe you doesn’t mean you’re telling me the truth.”

   “Well if you don’t believe me, then there’s nothing I can do to prove myself.” Alice sighed, waving her hands helplessly. “You’re just going to have to trust me.” Robin pressed her lips together. Alice was worried Robin would decide she couldn’t trust her so she quickly went on. “All I can do is beg you. Because I hate Gothel more than anyone and even if she gave me the richest life in the world now, that doesn’t change the fact that she’s already taken everything from me. I want her gone and the only way I can do that is with your help. Please. Please. _Please_! Help me.”

   Robin paused, then shook her head. “I’ll probably regret this. But I’m going to trust my gut. It’s never led me wrong before and at the very least it’s saying you don’t want to cause me any immediate harm.”

   “That’s the last thing I’d ever want.” Alice said strongly.

   Robin nodded her head slowly. “So what exactly do you need to defeat your mother then?”

   Alice took a breath, feeling both relieved and still anxious, trying to calm the intense pounding in her chest to think about what her next goal should be. Finally, she said; “I need my father.”

**O*U*A*T**

   “The docks are about a day or so journey’s away.” Robin explained as they walked. “If your father is truly a pirate then I’ll bet that’s where he’ll be. I’ll take you to him and then not a step further. After that, you’re on your own.”

   Alice nodded silently. She didn’t want to think about Robin leaving her again. For the time being, she was in a heavy case of denial. She was sure that, somehow, once they found her papa, Robin wasn’t going to leave them after all, not once she saw how serious Alice was about beating Gothel. After all, it was Robin. Even though Alice didn’t know the details, she remembered the way the villages had almost ( _almost_ ) relaxed when she had shown up. It was obvious that, no matter what world she was in, Robin was a hero who protected people who couldn’t protect themselves. If there was a way to defeat Gothel, Alice was sure Robin would jump at the chance to do it. Alice was sure of it!

   She was walking at Robin’s side, shivering slightly in the cold breeze but otherwise trying to keep from reacting to her discomfort. She wanted to appear strong in front of Robin, but she secretly wished she hadn’t been so quick to toss away her only clothing. She hated the outfit, sure, but it was at least a slight form of cover, and while she wasn’t embarrassed to be strolling through the woods in her underwear (whether she remembered or not, it wasn’t the first time Robin had seen her like this) she was finding the wind along her thighs to grow increasingly uncomfortable, especially now that she had cooled down somewhat.

   Robin glanced at her but didn’t offer her jacket or overcoat like she might have back in the real world. She didn’t seem to notice or care much about Alice’s lack of clothing. Instead she was more focussed on the girl herself. “I have to admit, I always imagined your father being some crazy sorcerer.”

   “What?” Alice blinked.

   “What I mean is, how do you know this Jones guy is your real father?” Robin asked

   “Because he raised me my whole life.” Alice said firmly.

   “Right.” Robin said, sighing. “Whatever. Look, are we going to find this guy only for him to not have any clue who you are?”

   “Probably.” Alice shrugged.

   “And how do you plan on convincing him? What if he’s loyal to your mother?” Robin pressed.

   “He would never be loyal to Gothel.” Alice said firmly. “And I plan on convincing him the same way I did you. She may have been able to change your memories, but your gut feelings will tell you all the truth.”

   “My God, you are a real piece of work, you know that.” Robin grumbled.

   Alice grinned, reaching over and nudging her. “And don’t you forget it.”

   Robin frowned at her, but it was no longer in the pure hate she had before. Instead it was something more like confusion. Like she didn’t know what to make of this Alice after everything else she thought she knew about her. “Okay then, Mistress.” She said mockingly. “Tell me this. If we’re such True Love in your world, and if True Love really can break any curse, then why didn’t your little surprise kiss break this one?”

   “I’m not sure.” Alice admitted sadly. “I guess because you don’t remember you love me. Once you remember, I’m sure it’ll work.”

   “So, you need to kiss me to make me remember, but the kiss won’t work until I remember?” Robin snorted.

   “Well when you put it that way…” Alice said, trying to sound light hearted but in truth, her stomach was tightening at the thought. Robin was right. It was an endless cycle. And Alice had no idea how she was going to break it.

   They fell into silence. Despite Alice’s best attempts, Robin was still keeping an obvious distance between them. She could lean over and reach her if she wanted, but not easily. Alice ached to take her hand, to walk arm in arm like they always did, but instead she had to settle with simply walking as closely beside her as she would allow. It was better than nothing at least.

   “So, what did mummy do to piss you off so much?” Robin asked. It seemed she hated the silence as much as Alice did.

   “No matter how many times you ask, my answer won’t change.” Alice said tiredly. “This world isn’t real. I hate her because she abandoned me as a baby in a tower, not to mention what she did to me and my father afterwards.”

   “Right.” Robin mumbled.

   “If you want to talk… You could tell me about yourself? Your mum’s a powerful witch. Why doesn’t she do something to try and defeat Gothel and save the world from her?” Alice asked. It was a moment before she realised Robin was no longer by her side. She paused and glanced back to see Robin staring at her in open horror.

   “You… You know about mum?” Robin croaked.

   “What?” Alice blinked.

   “You know about my mum…” Robin whispered.

   “What about your mum?” Alice frowned. “That she’s a witch?”

   “How did you know that?!” Robin shouted, suddenly loading an arrow and aiming at Alice for the second time today.

   “I know because I’ve met her in the real world!” Alice snapped. She was still tired from today’s events and, on top of that, it was painful for Robin to keep looking at her like that. She was sick of Robin treating her like they were enemies. “I love you and I’ve met your mum a dozen times. You introduced us, and she uses her magic all the time.” Alice hesitated. “Why is this such a big deal?!”

   Robin hesitated, lowering her bow. “You really don’t know.”

   “Know what?! I don’t know anything about this world! Would you just tell me already?!” She snapped.

   “Your mother ordered the execution of all witches.” Robin explained, walking over to her. “Anyone with the ability to use magic is to be brought to her and any who resist are murdered on sight without question.”

   “Seriously?” Alice whispered in shock. “Gothel is that paranoid here?”

   “There are a couple of witches who I think she keeps in her castle and trains, but they’re only the ones who have proven themselves most loyal people to her. Mums only survived out here by hiding her powers.” Robin explained quietly. “She and aunt Regina have kept hidden for all these years, pretending to be loyal like everyone else while trying to find ways to overthrow her in secret.” She hesitated, suddenly looking terrified like she had said too much.

   “Relax,” Alice said softly, walking over to her. “I’m on your side, remember. I want to defeat Gothel. I’m not going to tell anyone that your mum’s a witch…” Alice hesitated, and her face went pale as her blood ran cold.

   “What? What is it?” Robin demanded.

   “I don’t need to tell anyone. Gothel has he memories of the real world like me, so she already knows.” Alice said. “We have to get back and warn your mother before it’s too late!”

   Whether she believed the part about the real world or not, Robin clearly wasn’t going to chance any danger towards her mother. Without any further prompting, they both turned back the way they came and ran at top speed, Robin dashing ahead slightly with Alice keeping close to her heels. Meeting Robin had given her a newfound strength, but as soon as she began to run again she could feel her body screaming in resistance. She really needed to rest but every time she found a moment, something happened that made her need to start moving again. And all of it was some form of life or death situation.

   Gothel had only half her magic and was obviously focussed on getting the rest back as well as hunting down Alice before she could fix things. But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t remember the others. She might even find it easier to hunt down everyone else Alice might find for help and get rid of them first rather than chasing Alice alone. Either way, she had an entire land of people to do her bidding and if she even remembered in brief passing that Regina and Zelena both had the power to stop her, then that meant they were in terrible danger. And they were both unsuspecting of the trouble coming for them! They had to get to them first or Alice would never forgive herself. Especially as there was no saying that fixing things back to the way they were would automatically bring back anyone who died during the course of this spell.

   “How far away do you live?” Alice shouted, struggling to keep up with Robin’s frantic pace.

   “Just on the other side of town!” Robin shouted back.

   “Gothel’s had almost a full day in this world already!” Alice called. “She’s been distracted because of me but we have to hurry!”

   Robin stopped talking at that point, pushing herself even further ahead as they made their way back to the town. Alice knew they were close when she caught sight of the tattered remains of her skirt, still lying in a crumpled mess in the dirt by the tree Robin had found her crying at. The top was lying several feet away from it in the direction of the town.

   That should have been her first clue. Sadly, Alice didn’t realise the truth until they were both running through the middle of town, skipping around the market altogether. Only then did she hear something snap in the quiet around her and suddenly something wrapped itself around her ankles, tripping her up off of her feet and throwing her down to the ground. The fall on the gravel pathway scratched at her bare skin and stung worse than if she would have had a minor layer of protection over her. Only at that moment did she remember that she had thrown the top down on top of the skirt, meaning someone would have had to move it deliberately in order to separate them.

   The fall nearly caused her to bit her tongue as he face cracked against the earth, but Alice didn’t let the pain along her bruised jaw or the scratches over her skin slow her. She rolled sharply into her back and moved to untie the bindings that were wrapping around her legs as quickly as she could. Luckily it was simple skill that had gotten her tangled in a whip like rope and not actual magic. Just as she was able to free herself from the trapping, a foot appeared in front of her and kicked Alice back down again.

   “Mistress Alice!” The man’s voice called dramatically as he loomed over her. “You are ordered to return home immediately. Your mother is quite worried for you.”

   “Screw you!” Alice snarled, lifting her leg to kick the back of his knee joint, causing him to drop and stumble off of her.

   As soon as he was off her, Alice jumped to her feet and slammed her shoulder against him, throwing him off balance and off his feet. He was covered in a strong metallic armour and Alice was a fraction away from being naked with no weapons and no physical way to defend herself. To add to her worries, there appeared to be at least two other men sitting atop of horses, watching her from behind the first guard and ready to step in at any moment. Alice had no hopes of lasting in a fight with even one of them, let alone if all three fell down on top of her.

   While the guard scrambled to get back on his feet and the other two began to close in, Alice turned away from them and sped off. Robin was gone from sight now and she could only hope that she was somewhere safe, possibly with her mother by her side. For now, she had to focus on keeping herself safe or she would end up locked back in Gothel’s castle for as long as it took the evil woman to finally finish her off.

   Alice ran down in between the buildings on either side of her. It was deserted now; more likely everyone was hiding indoors (another sign Alice and Robin should have spotted early, had they not been in a blind panic to make it back to Zelena before Gothel did). That was actually a good thing for her. It meant she didn’t have to worry about anyone else getting hurt.

   In a split second after she had attempted to get away from them, Alice heard the horse’s hooves stomping close by and had no time to react when one of the guards grabbed the back of her bra, hoisting her up into the air and throwing her over the horse’s back in front of them. Alice shrieked in both surprise and a little fear, trying to slap his arm off but the armour hurt her wrist more than she hurt him. Alice kicked her legs out and struggled to twist her body around, trying to throw herself off the horse, even if it resulted in a few broken bones from the crash landing but the guard had a firm grip pressing down on her back, effortlessly keeping her in place.

   Alice continued screaming and swearing, kicking her legs out even if it didn’t help thing. She wasn’t sure what she was hoping to accomplish at this point, when the horse suddenly skidded to a sharp stop, nearly throwing both rider and Alice off. Somehow, he managed to stay seated and pushed even harder against her back, keeping her in place and bruising her ribs at the same time. Alice tried looking around to see what had caused their sudden halt, but she couldn’t see passed the horse’s head from the awkward angle she was stuck at.

   But she could hear well enough when a familiar voice called out; “Let her go.”

**To Be Continued...**

_Chapter Five: A Win And A Loss - Sneak Peek:_  
_Alice ducked to avoid the blow, then pushed back up, grabbing the guard around the waist and tackling him to the ground. She didn’t have a whole lot of experience with hand to hand combat against professional guards, but she had survived all these years on her own before she had met Robin. If she was going to go down, it certainly wasn’t going to be easy._  
_They both fell to the ground but still the bastard didn’t let go of his staff. He grabbed Alice by the hair, dragging her off him to the side and swung the staff down. Had it connected, it probably would have broken her ribs, but her hair was long enough for her to roll out of the way of the attack. She reached back, grabbing his hand but was unable to prise her hair free of his grip. He rammed the staff into her stomach, winding her and causing her to temporarily collapse against the floor, trying to curl around herself._  
_He stood, still holding her hair and dragging her unwillingly to her knees. She squinted through her teary eyes over to where Robin was still fighting the other remaining guard._  
_“Kill her already and be done with it!” The guard holding Alice snapped._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we've met Robin! There's some space between Alice meeting all the other characters but it will happen eventually! They will find each other! I promise.
> 
> Oh and as of the latest chapter we'll be meeting LOTS of other characters from Season 7 (I'm afraid they won't be playing major roles, but they'll have their chapter time!) so stay tuned!
> 
> Please comment, tell me what you think of the chapter, tell me what you think is going to happen in the next chapter, tell me what you wish would happen, tell me your favourite Once character, just tell me something!  
> Thank you! ;) <3


	5. Win Some Lose Some

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be spoilers in the notes at the end of this chapter for the latest episode. If you don't want to read spoilers, stop at the Sneak Peek!

   “Robin!” Alice gasped, trying to get her arms under her so she could see what was happening.

   The guard roughly pushed her back down. “Move girl. Or I’ll run you down.” He said, his voice projecting like a man used to speaking to large crowds of people at a time.

   “Try it. And this arrow will find its mark in one of your eyes.” Robin’s voice called back confidently.

   Alice heard laughter from more than one of the riders. She twisted her head back towards the rear of the horse, trying to seek out a weapon she could make use of but it seemed these guards were not as heavily armed as she expected them to be. Or rather, they didn’t have any that they left on display within her reach. The chances were, they probably had plenty of hidden weapons on their actual person, but none that Alice could physically get to from where she was still being pinned down like a toddler throwing an inconvenient tantrum.

   “Last chance girl. You don’t want to end up on the Empress’ list.” The guard said coldly.

   Alice heard the slightest twang and whistle in the wind when suddenly the guards hold on her back was gone. He slumped to the side, not quite slipping off the horse when his armour caught onto the saddle just enough to keep him tipped at a ridiculous angle, his arms hanging down like a dead puppet. At the same time as the guard dropped, the other two let out twin roars of surprise and anger, their horse’s hooves thumping slightly as they stomped on the spot, trying to keep the animals under control in amongst all the excitement.

   As soon as the man’s hand had shifted from her back, Alice swung her leg around onto the horse, kicking the guard and knocking his limp body free, shuffling so that she was sat in his place. As soon as she was upright, Alice grabbed a hold of the horse’s reins and pulled the animal sharply to the side. She didn’t know much about horses (she’d never ridden one before) but she knew enough to somewhat steer the creature around so it collided with one of the others closest to her. The rider was knocked clean off, taken by surprise while he was still focussed on Robin. While he fell to the ground, Alice clung onto the reins tight enough to leave an impression, steering the horse the other way to do the same to the remaining guard. Unfortunately, she was slow at getting control and this guard had more time to prepare himself. He pulled a short metal pole like staff out from some secret hold behind him just before she could hit, swinging it around and smacking Alice hard on the jaw just as she drew in close enough for her attack.

   The force of the blow caused her hands to release the reins and threw her backwards, soaring right off of the horse back much like the second guard had done. As she fell, Alice forced her body to twist mid air so she was able to avoid the horses stomping feet as it began to run around wildly, no longer with a rider to keep it under control with the rush happening around it. She was able to fall safely from the stampeding beast, but the twisting caused her head to land first, her skull smack against the ground, hard enough that stars flashed in front of her eyes and she was momentarily stunned to the spot.

   Groaning, Alice tried to force herself to sit up just as the staff came into her line of sight. It swung down towards her face and she rolled, just barely avoiding the blow. She felt it smack at her fluttering hair strands instead, inches away from her temple and she kept on rolling until she was a safe enough distance to scramble back onto her feet. When she looked up, she saw the one guard dead in the middle of the street. He had Robin’s arrow lodged into his face, right inside the small gap in his helmet where his right eye was, just like Robin had promised. Two of the horses were gone, having run off in a panic after they lost their riders. The guard Alice had knocked off his steed was back on his feet, holding a pair of long daggers in either hand and closing in on where Robin was stood, arrow aimed but she seemed hesitant to take the shot. At first Alice wasn’t sure why but then she saw the arrows littering the ground around them and realised the close range was throwing her off.

   The final guard was still sitting astride his horse, reins in one hand and staff in the other, charging straight for Alice with only a moment’s pause when he needed to twist the animal around. She gasped and jumped to the side, just barely avoiding getting trapped under the horse’s hooves. Alice scrambled to keep from falling over and ran to put some space between them but the horse was immediately tugged in the direction after her and there was no way she could outrun the creature, nor could she defend herself while the rider sat out of her reach and even if she could, she still didn’t even have a blasted weapon to use!

   Suddenly Alice had an idea where she might be able to kill three birds with one stone.

   Alice turned and ran towards the nearest building that had a low hanging porch cover for her to make use of. She jumped up and grabbed onto the wooden edge but didn’t pull herself up onto it like the guard expected her to. Instead, when the horse turned sharply to avoid running into the wall, she swung her body to the side and threw herself at them. She missed her target – the rider – but hit the horse on its side instead and got almost the same results she’d been hoping for.

   The horse stumbled but managed to keep from falling, though it did leap back onto his hind legs away from her, probably in more shock then pain, and the rider finally lost his balance, releasing his grip on the reins when he began falling, knowing he would end up being dragged across the ground if he tried to hold on. The horse lingered by its owners side, better trained than the others it seemed, at least until Alice kicked it and dodged one of its retaliating legs. Finally the horse seemed to have had enough of the abuse and set off into the distance and out of sight.

   Alice had hoped he would drop his weapon during his fall, but somehow he had managed to cling onto it, and as he stood, he swung the staff around like a sword and pointed it at her threateningly. While the guard scrambled onto his feet, Alice risked a quick glance over her shoulder. Robin was still mostly dancing around with the other guard. She was trying to jump back for some space between them while also avoiding his daggers and was given little chance to reload her bow, let alone time to aim and fire without giving him the chance to block or dodge the shots.

   Before Alice could take in any more than that, the guard in front of her attacked. He jumped at her, swinging the staff for her head, probably hoping to make quick work of her just by knocking her unconscious with one blow. Yeah, like it was going to be that easy.

   Alice ducked the blow with surprising ease, before she immediately pounced, throwing her body forward, wrapping her arms around the guard’s waist and tackling him to the ground. She didn’t have a whole lot of experience with hand to hand combat against professional guards and trained fighters, but she had survived all the years on her own, before she had met Robin, for a reason. If she was going to go down, she certainly wasn’t going to go down easily.

   They both dropped back down to the ground but still the bastard didn’t let go of his damn staff. Instead he grabbed Alice by the hair, yanking on the handful and forcibly dragging her off him and to the side before he swung the staff down towards her stomach. Had it connected, it probably would have broken her ribs at least, but her hair was long enough for her to somehow manage a half roll out of the way of the attack. She reached back, grabbing his hand but was unable to prise her hair free of his tight grip. While she struggled to break free, he rammed one end of the staff into her stomach, winding her and causing her to temporarily slump forward, her body trying to curl around herself for both comfort and protection.

   He stumbled forward, still holding her by the hair and dragging her unwillingly to her knees. Alice squinted through her teary eyes over to where Robin was still fighting. The opposing guard had lost one of his daggers at some point and had an arrow sticking out of his shoulder, while Robin only had a faint cut across her cheek but still neither seemed close to being finished off.

   “Kill her already and be done with it!” The guard holding Alice snapped before her reached up, pushing up his helmet off his face. He rest his staff against his side as he pulled off his glove and put his fingers in his mouth, letting out a shrill whistle for his horse to return to his side.

   Despite the pain, Alice wasn’t out for the count just yet. She forced her body to sit up straight and lashed a hand out. The guard underestimated her and she was given the chance to grab the staff from his side and pull it away from him, swinging it back around before he had a chance to try and defend himself. The armour could offer little protection from his own weapon, nor stop him from losing his balance when it struck his upper chest. As he tumbled to the floor, his grip on Alice’s hair loosened just enough for her to smack his hand away and put some space between them.

   She didn’t waste any time, bringing the staff down hard on him. There was no technique in her strikes, just one desperate and brutal attack after another. The armour protected him from the worst of it, but his hand was exposed, and Alice quickly caught sight of it as he fell. Alice slammed the staff down and crushed his fingers into the hard earth. While he roared in pain and brought his hand to his chest for comfort, his body rocked slightly and the helmet he had pushed back on his head slipped off, hitting the ground and rolling away from them.

   In a matter of seconds, Alice took note of his sudden lack of protection and swung the staff around behind her. The guard was still too busy clutching his hand, shouting and crying in pain, to even noticing as Alice rolled the staff back around towards him again.

   Before he even realised what was happening, Alice had swung the staff up so the tip cracked against his chin, throwing his head back so sharply he almost snapped his neck. A soft spittle of blood sprayed from his lips across the dirt and he fell back for a moment, stunned into silence before he began to moan at the pain of his broken jaw. Alice cringed but otherwise ignored his suffering as soon as she saw his eyes narrow and he sat up sharply, reaching for her with his unbroken hand. Before he could reach her, Alice lift the staff up one last time and slamming it down on his head with as much force as she could gather behind it. There was another loud cracking sound as it made contact and the man went still, falling back and going quiet all at once.

   Alice stepped back, gasping for breath and shaking so hard that she nearly dropped the staff. She had just a moment to consider what could have done; she had no idea if he was unconscious or she had actually killed a man who – for all she knew – could have just been a good person trapped under Gothel’s spell like the rest of them, when she heard Robin shouting. Alice turned in time to see the final guard bringing the dagger down towards Robin’s throat. She screamed and ran over, knowing she wouldn’t make it in time but also knowing she had to try, when suddenly the man jolted to a stop, and the dagger fell down to the side of her head, embedding in the ground instead.

   Alice slowed to a stop and watched Robin push the man off her, a broken arrow head embedded into his stomach where some of the armour seemed to have split, leaving him exposed. He let out a loud cry of pain as he rolled to the ground and Robin stood, coldly pulling an arrow from her quiver and aiming it towards his face without hesitation of what she was about to do.

   “Wait!” Alice cried, then winced at the stinging on her face. The adrenaline rush that had her powering through was fading, making room for the pain to return. Her jaw was bruised, and her bottom lip was split slightly along the side. Her head felt sore and she hobbled slightly as the pain to her stomach blossomed again and reminded her of just how badly she had been battered before she managed to get the upper hand. “Robin, wait!” She gasped, nearly dropping to her knees, leaning completely on the awkwardly short staff for support.

   Robin hesitated, but didn’t take her eyes off of the guard, nor did she lower her bow. Instead she waited patiently for Alice to stumble forward, using the staff like a cane, and nearly tripped to catch up with her and stand by her side.

   “Don’t kill him,” Alice gasped, reaching over and placing her hand gently over Robin’s shoulder.

   “What? Why?!” Robin snapped.

   “They might not be to blame.” Alice said, letting the staff drop to the floor and leaning against Robin instead. “The spell. It could have changed their minds and made them act this way.”

   “Are you freaking kidding me?!” Robin snapped. “You and that stupid imaginary spell?!”

   “If there is even a chance that they’re innocent!” Alice gasped, clinging to her. “Do you really want to kill them? If there’s even a chance that Gothel is controlling them in _some_ way?!”

   Robin paused. “We’ve killed one of them already.” She said coldly, but her expression quivered reluctantly.

   “All the more reason to stop now before we kill any more.” Alice said shakily, not mentioning the fact that she didn’t know if her guard was actually dead yet or just unconscious, nor how sick she felt at the very thought of having his blood on her hands…

   But even if he was dead, there was nothing they could do about that now. The only thing she could do was keep anyone else from getting hurt from this point onwards and keep Robin from making the same mistake twice. She wasn’t going to let Gothel taint Robin’s good heart.

   Robin sighed, lowering her bow and replacing her arrow in its quiver. “You know there’s a chance he’ll die from his wounds anyway.”

   “And there’s a chance he won’t.” Alice nodded.

   After a moment of glaring down at the guard, his cries reduced to weak groaning as he clutched at his wound, Robin turned away. She silently paused and reached down, grabbing the staff off the floor and giving it back to Alice to lean on again instead of her. The guard continued to groan at their feet as Robin casually took the dagger from where it had fallen from his limp hand, tucking it into her waste band before she jogged around the area, collecting her arrows where they had been scattered during the fighting. When it came to the first guard she killed, she wasted no sensitivity ripping the arrow free, tucking it into her quiver without even trying to wipe the head down. Alice didn’t like seeing Robin like this, but she was also relieved. The fact that she had listened to her just now and stopped her attack just proved the real Robin was still inside somewhere.

   While she collected her weapons, Alice looked back towards the guard at her feet. The wound in his stomach wasn’t awful. If he received help (it probably didn’t even have to be right away), then he would more than likely survive it. Alice had no way of knowing if he would be grateful for his save or if he would run bitterly back to inform Gothel what had happened so she could send even more people after them. There also was no way to tell if Alice had convinced Robin to spare a man who was actually good or actually still quite villainous.

   “Okay.” Robin said, returning to her side and fiddling with the handle of the dagger in her waistband. There was a slight pause. “You’re right. We should spare the guards in case they are under Gothel’s magical influence. I forgot myself for a moment there. I protect the village because they’re innocent so if there’s a chance these guards are innocent in choice, then we should protect them now, but only when we can. When it comes down to it, will you do what you have to?”

   “You tell me.” Alice said, waving her hand to the guard she had fought still lying behind them. She still didn’t point out that she had no idea if he was even really dead or that she still felt sick of the thought of actually killing someone. When it came down to it, Alice knew she would do what she had to in order to save herself and the people she loved, even if she done it with a heavy heart.

   “Good. Now, can you run?” Robin asked.

   “I don’t think so. I’m still pretty dizzy.” Alice admitted, though she was thankful that she was no longer seeing stars in her vision any more.

   “Then stay here. I need to hurry and check on my mother before any more guards show up.” Robin said, turning to jog off.

   “I’ll be right behind you.” Alice insisted, stumbling after her. Even in pain, she didn’t want to be separated from her for even a moment.

   The worst of the dizziness faded after a few minutes of movement, but the bruising in her stomach and the pain along her lip and jaw still left her feeling uneasy and incredibly sluggish despite her best efforts to keep up. Robin faded from her line of her sight before she’d even reached the edge of town, but she refused to stop and continued to stumble after her while huffing each and every harsh breath she had in her, trying not to think about how Gothel had guards out searching for her already or how easily they had found her.

   When Alice finally left the town’s row of houses behind her, it wasn’t long before she spotted the Mills family home up ahead. It was a small cabin like house with an equally small garden along the front. Nothing like the large farm they had back in the Enchanted Forest. Alice felt a string of pity for them but brushed it aside almost immediately. She would fix that. That and everything else in this fake world, once they figured out a way to break Gothel’s spell.

   The front door was left wide open, and Alice forced herself to stop using the staff as a crutch and began a light jog. She felt her stomach pain again, only not from the growing bruises and aches, and stepped inside the building just as Robin appeared back at the other end of the hallway. Her face was a pale white with panic, apart from her cheeks which turned bright pink with anger when she caught sight of Alice in the doorway.

   “She’s gone!” Robin snapped, storming up to Alice. “Where is she?!”

   Alice barely had the energy to react to Robin’s anger beside to take a small step back and hold up her hands in defence. She was exhausted, having spent the entire day running and fighting for her life with next to no rest in between. It hurt to have Robin so angry at her, but she just kept reminding herself that none of it was real so she shouldn’t take it personally. “I don’t know, Robin. You saw what happened out there. I’ve run away from that woman, I’m not working for her or using you. I promise.”

   “Or maybe you were just used to distract me and keep me away long enough for them to get to my mother.” Robin snarled. “I would have gotten here sooner if I didn’t go back to help save _you_!”

   “Three things wrong with that.” Alice said calmly. “One; I was the one who told you your mother might be in danger and told you to come back for her in the first place. If I was going to distract you, why bring you back at all? Two, your mother is powerful at least when it comes to magic, and if she couldn’t stop them, nothing would make Gothel think you could so there would be no reason to even keep you away…”

   “And three?” Robin said, but she had already deflated considerably, her anger beginning to fade, replaced instead with a low misery.

   “I forgot number three.” Alice admitted with a shrug. “Give me a break, that guard smacked me over the head half a dozen times!”

   Despite everything, there was a ghost of a smile on Robin’s lips for a second before it fell away again, and she looked back into the empty house. “They have my mother… Why? Why not just kill her and leave her body like they did all the other witches they found out about?”

   “Maybe…” Alice began. “Maybe it has something to do with the spell…” She stopped when she saw the look Robin gave her and sighed. “Okay, forget the spell for a minute. But Gothel really _is_ weak. That’s why she didn’t come and get me herself, why she’s sending her guards instead. I don’t know, but maybe it’s possible she’s taken your mum and is going to try and drain the magic from her for her own or something.”

   “So, we can still save her?!” Robin said, grabbing Alice’s hand suddenly.

   “If we can break the spell…” Alice began then stopped short again at Robin’s sceptical expression. “Okay. Long story short, yes, I think we can still save her. But we can’t do it alone.”

   “My aunt Regina…” Robin began immediately, eyes lighting up only to die down just as quickly.

   “Is she close?” Alice asked after a moment. She truly wanted to let Robin find her family, but a larger selfish part also wanted to find her own family first.

   “No…” Robin mumbled. “She never stays in one place too long. Gothel doesn’t know about her but she doesn’t want to risk it so she keeps moving. Mum and her used their magic to stay in contact and visit each other every now and then but…”

   “Then let’s get to my father first. He may not have magic, but he spent nearly three life times trying to find a way to defeat someone who did before.” Alice explained, trying not to feel too guiltily relieved that they weren’t going to deviate from her original plan. “Plus, if we find him, he may help us find my friend. And he really does have magic. More magic than anyone else, even Gothel.”

   “You really do want to bring your mother down.” Robin said quietly, watching her closely.

   “More than anyone else.” Alice said firmly.

   “It’s so weird.” Robin whispered, staring into her eyes like she was seeing her for the first time. She hadn’t even realised that she was still holding onto Alice’s hand while she did. “I can’t explain why. But I generally believe you.”

   Alice couldn’t resist the urge to grin at her. “It’s because you love me.” Then, before Robin could stop her, she stole a quick kiss.

**To Be Continued...**

_Chapter Six: A Chat With Mother - Sneak Peek:_   
_"I'm not going back to your castle." Alice snarled, standing by the table._   
_"We'll see." Gothel smirked. Then took a slow sip before smiling sweetly up at her. "We've never had a proper chat, have we?"_   
_"You've never seemed interested in ever actually talking to me." Alice said coldly._   
_"Well that's because you were a means to an end." Gothel said. "I only had you, so you could take my place in the tower. After that I didn't care what happened to you."_   
_"Oh, but you care now?" Alice said, raising an eyebrow._   
_"Of course, I care." Gothel said, looking up at her. "After all, you could ruin this little world for me if you go unchecked."_   
_"Well, that makes me happy," Alice smirked, leaning against the table smugly._   
_"You're causing a scene. You're ruining my perfect world and I can't have that." Gothel said, ignoring Alice's remark._   
_"And what? You're here to ask me to give up? Tell me to turn myself in and expect it to work?" Alice snorted, rolling her eyes._   
_"You won't listen to me. Unless you had a reason to." Gothel said slowly._   
_Alice felt a chill run up her spine. "And you're here to give me a reason?"_   
_"Robin."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, for those of you who have seen the latest episode (you have no idea how much I have been freaking out over it - unless you follow me on Tumblr in which case, very obvious) but anyway! Alice has magic. A lot of magic by the looks of things. So this is where my story is going to deviate from canon. Alice does have magic in my story, but so far it has been untouched magic. She had potential but she had yet to use it. I don't actually know if she'll find the potential in this story or what...
> 
> On the plus side, more familiar faces have made appearances later on! And it's actually becoming much longer than I intended it to be lol. But aw well, the more the merrier as they say!
> 
> Please comment, tell me what you think of the chapter, tell me what you think is going to happen in the next chapter, tell me what you wish would happen, tell me your favourite scene from the latest episode!!!!, just tell me something!  
> Thank you! ;) <3


	6. A Chat With Mother

   “They might be a little loose, but it’s better than running around in your underwear. We’re kind of close to the same sizes at least.” Robin explained, laying the clothes on the end of her bed. “Hurry and get dressed. Once you’re done we can head out. If we’re lucky then we might even find one of the guard’s horses still pacing around. It will cut our journey time in half, and the quicker we get help, the quicker we can save my mum.”

   “I’ll be quick as a flick, love.” Alice grinned.

   Robin shot her the same mild look of annoyance that she had given her after the surprise kiss from earlier, but just like then, Alice responded with little more than a cheeky wink and a soft smile. Even if she didn’t remember her, Alice wasn’t going to let that change a thing between them. Maybe by acting like everything was still the same, something would jog in Robin’s memory. Or maybe one of her surprise kisses would finally do the job and wake her up. Either way, if Alice was going to be stuck in this crappy world, she was going to be stuck here being with the love of her life.

   “Just get dressed.” Robin said finally.

   Alice grinned after her for a moment before she turned to the clothes Robin had given her. It wasn’t too far different from what she would usually wear; including a plain white blouse with elbow length sleeves and a brown leather vest over the top. Alice tied the bindings along the front of the outfit and ended with a thin bow knot just over her chest before she pulled on a loose greying white skirt that reached down her legs and stopping a few short inches above her ankles. Robin had laid out an extra option that included a pair of plain brown trousers, but in the end, Alice preferred the skirt. She felt almost normal, even if – as Robin warned her – they were slight too big on her, but at least they weren’t skin tight, thin and revealing like the outfit she’d woken up in.

   When she was dressed, she went back downstairs to find Robin standing waiting for her in the hallway. She looked the same as before but now had a satchel against her hip and something hanging around her neck, hidden inside the top of her shirt. Alice didn’t bother asking what was in the bag. Knowing Robin, it was all the things they would need to be prepared for a long trip including food and medical supplies or anything else she could think of.

   “You ready?” Robin said, a little impatiently.

   “Yeah, let’s go.” Alice nodded, following her quickly out the door.

   “We’ll spend fifteen minutes looking for a horse.” Robin said strictly without pause and without glancing at her. “Not a second longer. If we can’t find one in that time, then we make the rest of the way on foot.”

   “Whatever you say,” Alice agreed, letting Robin take the lead like she did so naturally, no matter what world they were in.

   They weren’t sure where to go, so they started their search by drifting back through town. No one had yet to come out of their homes, probably waiting for someone else to finally deal with the dead bodies littering their street, and it looked just as deserted as before. The only difference now was that the guard with the stomach wound was gone. Alice and Robin weren’t sure if the guard had been helped by someone else or if he had dragged herself to whatever shelter he could get to on his own. There was no blood trail, so Alice would put her money on the former, or otherwise he wasn’t as badly hurt as she originally assumed he was, which was actually a little worrying.

   While they searched for one of the runaway horses, they didn’t speak. Robin seemed focussed on the task at hand, but Alice found herself often getting caught watching Robin instead. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to find a ride. In fact she would have loved to kick her feet up for a bit longer - she was no longer feeling as sore as she had, but she was still seriously bruised and extremely tired. However, she was mentally preparing herself for a long walk she was sure they would need to face instead. The horses had more than likely all ran off in different directions, either finding of food or returning to their homes, and that was if they weren’t caught and taken by someone else or killed on the spot by hunters.

   They were halfway through town when Alice was proven wrong after she finally spotted one of the horses still hovering by one of the smaller buildings with an open front garden. She almost didn’t believe their luck, part of her thinking she was somehow imagining it. Only when she realised that it was real, did Alice silently reach over, grabbing Robin’s hand and pulling her to a stop. She didn’t even need to point before the other girl caught sight of the animal as well, still standing so bravely out in the open like it didn’t have a care in the world.

   The two girls glanced at one another; Robin not so secretly making sure Alice wasn’t going to do anything rash and Alice already waiting for her love to take the lead. Robin stepped ahead of her, slowly creeping over to the animal, taking care not to spook him as she did. But when they approached the horse and caught its attention, it lifted its head and glanced over at them, looking bored more than anything and uninterested in either girl. When they showed no threat, the horse turned his head away again just as quickly.

   “How good are you with animals?” Robin asked quietly, watching the horse closely in case it showed any signs of being threatened.

   “However good I am, we both know you’re better.” Alice said, nudging her forward. “Do your thing.”

   Rolling her eyes, Robin crept forward, holding her hands out. Alice watched silently as she gently touched the side of the horse’s neck, showing him that they were friendly before carefully taking a hold of his reins and guiding him back over to Alice. The horse was well behaved, more so than Alice had expected, and suddenly Alice wondered if animals were affected by Gothel’s spell the same way as humans were. Maybe it was possible that they weren’t; which was why they were so trusting of these strange people who had quite literally slain their previous riders.

   “Come on, _Mistress_. Get on.” Robin said, climbing up and holding out a hand for her impatiently.

   “It’s Alice.” She said, accepting her hand and climbing awkwardly onto the horse behind her. While she had been lost in her thoughts, Robin had adjusted the equipment, which including dumping some more of the unnecessary things that were attached to the horses side and would no doubt slow them down if they bothered keeping all of it. As soon as she was settled behind her, Alice wrapped her arms around Robin’s waist, holding onto her tightly and resting her chin on her shoulder. “But there are other names you can call me, if you like.” She added.

   “Your flirting is going to get annoying really fast.” Robin growled, shrugging sharply to knock her head off.

   There was a flash of pain from her bruised jaw and her lip ached at the rough jerking, but she swallowed back the flare of her injuries in favour of the same cheeky smile as before. “So, it hasn’t yet, then?”

   Robin didn’t answer her, instead nudging the horse gently forward. It started walking at an easy pace down the middle of the empty town for just enough time for the girls to get comfortable before Robin began building him up to a quick dash. They started heading back in the direction they had been going for originally, for the ocean and towards where they hoped they would find Alice’s father.

**O*U*A*T**

   Just as Robin predicted, they made much better time on the horse than they would have on foot, and what was even better, they didn’t run into any more trouble along the way. Still Alice kept a hand flinching repeatedly to the staff she now had tied across her back. And when she wasn’t checking on her only weapon, she kept her arms tightly wound around Robin’s waist, no matter how much the other girl twisted uncomfortably against her, trying to subtly loosen her grip. It was cute. If it were anyone else, she might have respected their boundaries and held back, but for Robin well, she knew deep down the other girl didn’t really mind.

   For her part, beside’s the occasional twisting around in her warm grip, Robin seemed too distracted to really get all that bothered by it anyway. But then she had just lost her mother to an evil tyrant with a seemingly random girl she was originally furious with insisting they were lovers from another world while clinging onto her. Yeah, Alice could see how that might keep her a little lost in thought to really get annoyed with someone for being overly touchy and flirty with her.

   The sun was beginning to set when Robin came to a reluctant slow stop. She seemed hesitant to climb off their ride, instead turning to look at Alice over her shoulder. “Quick question. Can you sleep while riding?”

   “Uh… Yeah, I think so. Haven’t really had much of a chance to try but it can’t be that hard. Why?” Alice asked.

   “I don’t want to stop if I can avoid it.” Robin explained. “If you can sleep on the move, then we could take it in turns riding while the other gets some rest.”

   “You’re trusting me then,” Alice grinned. It wasn’t a question.

   “I have a feeling you won’t stab me in the back while I’m riding. And I’m pretty sure you’d have to stop to stab me while I slept so yeah, for now, I’ll trust you.” Robin said coldly. “Unless you want me to come up with another idea.”

   “No, yours is a good idea.” Alice nodded, then raised an eyebrow at her. “Just as long as you don’t mind me cuddling into you the whole time.”

   “And that’s different to what you’re currently doing, how?” Robin said, but Alice was fairly certain her cheeks grew a little pink when she gently squeezed the grip she had around her torso.

   Alice grinned, leaning her face against the back of Robin’s shoulder – she had swung her arrows to the side earlier, so they were out of the way but still within easy reach – and shut her eyes. She had never tried riding before, let alone sleeping on a horse while it was on the move, but it turned out to be quite easy for her. Alice was pretty sure that Robin’s company had a lot to do with it, but she decided not to mention any of that out loud. Part of her was too tired to and another part knew better than to push Robin too far, too often. She was cute but often hard headed and if she did happen to get annoyed of Alice then she might do or say something they would both regret once she eventually woke up.

   Once she was settled into a comfortable position – her arms slackening slightly onto Robin’s thighs – the day’s many long walks and runs finally caught up with her and Alice found herself drifting off quickly into a deep slumber. But while she had expected to have a dreamless, peaceful sleep, curled up against the woman she loved…

   Well, her mother had other ideas.

**O*U*A*T**

   _No sooner had she curled up against her love and shut her eyes, did she find them flickering open again, leaving her feeling almost completely refreshed like she had been asleep for hours. A thought which was almost confirmed when she realised everything around her had changed. She was no longer sitting on a horse with her arms wrapped around of Robin’s torso, leaning up against her and burying her face into the back of her green hood like it was a soft pillow. Instead she found she was lying on firm hardwood flooring in the middle of a large open space that was disturbingly familiar and left a chill throughout her body._

_Slowly, Alice pushed herself up onto her hands and knees. She glanced around the room and felt her mouth go dry as she realised she was back in her tower. Not the tower here in Gothel’s made up world, but rather her original tower. It looked exactly how it had when she was a child and Alice had to resist the urge to start panicking at the sight of it._

_Instead she forced herself to slowly stand up, looking down to see she was even back in her old dress she wore after getting free, rather than the clothes she had borrowed from Robin. For a long moment, Alice was confused enough not to react. She didn’t understand what had happened. Did they catch her and Robin and bring her here while she was sleeping? But why? And why change her clothes too? What was going on?!_

_Then she heard a slight clink of china gently tapping against something from behind her. Alice spun around and was shocked to find Mother Gothel sitting at her little round table, looking exactly how she had after she had cast her spell, gently sipping some tea from a light blue china cup, lowering it down to the little plate with a soft little smirk on her face the whole time. Across from her was a second tea cup, full, ready and waiting for her._

_“Come sit down. I’ve been waiting for you to fall asleep, so we could have this little chat for a while now.” Gothel said calmly._

_“Asleep?” Alice blinked, then realisation hit. “This is a dream.”_

_“Of course it is, you stupid girl,” Gothel sneered. “Now do sit down before you wake up and we lose our chance to talk.”_

_“Why the hell should I talk to you?!” Alice demanded._

_“Because if you don’t, I’ll kill Robin’s mother.” Gothel said simply._

_Alice felt her body freeze before her blood began boiling. She begrudgingly walked over with a dark look on her face. “So, you do have her.” She already knew this, and yet it still caught her off guard to hear Gothel admit it._

_“Of course,” Gothel shrugged. “Though not for the reason you think. Ironically it would take too much magical power for me to take hers. And there’s the chance she could steal mine if she got the upper hand, even for just a moment. No, better to keep her as bait to lure you home.”_

_“I’m not going back to your castle.” Alice snarled, standing by the table._

_“We’ll see.” Gothel smirked. Then took a slow sip before smiling sweetly up at her. “We’ve never had a proper chat, have we?”_

_“You’ve never seemed interested in ever actually talking to me before.” Alice said coldly._

_“Well that’s because you were a means to an end.” Gothel said. “I only had you, so you could take my place in the tower. After that I didn’t care what happened to you.”_

_“Oh, but you care now?” Alice said, raising an eyebrow._

_Gothel paused, placing her cup down. “So when exactly did you grow this backbone of yours?” Before Alice could reply, she shook her head. “Of course, I care about you. Or at least what you do.” Gothel said, looking up at her. “After all, you could ruin this little world for me if you go unchecked.”_

_“Oh really?” Alice smirked, feeling a bit of an ego boost that made her stand a little taller._

_“Once again, not in the way you think.” Gothel said calmly._

_“You have no idea how I think.” Alice hissed._

_“You think once you find your lover and your father that you’ll be able to wake them up and rally the people to come against me and change things back to how they used to be.” Gothel said, standing and crossing the room. “But it won’t work. The magic is too strong. They don’t even recognise you any more so there will be no way for you to wake them.”_

_“Then how do you think I will ruin your world for you?” Alice frowned._

_“You already are.” Gothel said coldly, turning to stare at her. Not quite frowning but pretty damn close. She was a master at hiding her annoyance but even so, Alice could sense it there all the same._

_“Well, that makes me happy,” Alice smirked, leaning against the table smugly._

_“You’re causing a scene. You’re ruining my perfect world and I can’t have that.” Gothel said, ignoring Alice’s snarky remark._

_“And what? You’re here to ask me to give up? Tell me to turn myself in and expect that to actually work?” Alice snorted, rolling her eyes._

_“You won’t listen to me. Unless you had a reason to.” Gothel said slowly._

_Alice felt her body automatically tense at the way she said that but she did her best to hide it. “And you’re here to give me a reason?”_

_“Robin.”_

_Alice clenched her fist and resisted the typical response of screaming about not letting her lay a hand on her true love. Instead she bit back the remark and raised an eyebrow at her like she wasn’t impressed in the slightest._

_“What about her?” Alice growled. Okay, so she couldn’t hide her outrage completely._

_“She’s safe in this world, Alice. She may not be happiest girl who ever lived, but she has no fear of being harmed at the moment. Unless she starts helping you, that is. Then she gets a target on her back and just like that, you’ve put the one you truly love in terrible danger.” Gothel said, speaking in a way like a teacher just laying out the facts to her class._

_Alice felt her face grow hot but once again she bit back the original sharp threat that jumped to her mind, instead giving Gothel a strained smile. “If there’s one thing that I know about my love. It’s that she can handle herself just fine.”_

_“You truly believe that?” Gothel asked._

_Alice felt herself relax, nodding her head and answering truthfully. “I do.”_

_“Then you will lose her. Before you lose your own life.” Gothel said, walking to the window._

_“You know I’m meant to be your loving daughter in this land.” Alice snapped to her back. “Why do that if you wanted me gone? And what will people say when you just straight up murder me?!”_

_Gothel paused and glanced back, looking suddenly bored with this conversation. “Unfortunately, I didn’t have completely control over everything and everyone in this new world. If I did there would have been many more changes to you and your little friends. As for your second question.” Gothel smirked before turning and continuing to walk over to the window. “I am the Empress. They’ll say what I want them to say.”_

_With that, she stepped up onto the windowsill and stepped outside of the tower, dropping sharply out of sight. Instantly, Alice ran over to the side, resting her hands on the side, leaning as far as she could to look down at the ground bellow but Gothel had completely vanished. Alice hesitated, wondering what to do next – could she just wake herself up or…? – when she suddenly felt the entire tower shake like it had just been hit with a powerful earthquake._

_Alice gasped and turned around in a circle, looking at the room as the walls were rocked so hard that dust began to fall down around her, pieces of furniture tripped over itself and crashed onto the floor so loudly it sounded like they might go right through the tower floors. There was a splintering sound as the beams overhead began to crack and break apart before one of them finally snapped off and dropped to the floor with a crash that echoed around the small room, sounding as loud and threatening as thunder. The walls made similar crunching noises and bricks began to fall out of place, hitting the floor on top of furniture and other bricks, some whole, most broken into pieces. Some of the thick chunks smashed into other pieces and broke them apart, leaving a layer of brick dust in almost every direction surrounding her._

_This wasn’t right. This wasn’t like when she escaped her tower all those years ago. Somehow, Alice knew that there was something seriously wrong and that she needed to get out of this room before the entire tower collapsed in on itself – and on her!_

_Turning back to the window, Alice instinctively tried to climb out only to find herself being bounced back by an invisible force field that blocked her way. She landed in the rubble and was momentarily winded and shocked, coming back to her senses seconds before a splintered piece of roofing fell down on top of her head. Alice let out an involuntary shriek and rolled out of the way seconds before it hit, jumping to her feet and inhaling a mouthful of smoke and dust as she did, causing her to cough and splutter as she stumbled back towards the window. The whole room was still shaking, and she stumbled, tripping over the broken pieces of the tower and struggling to avoid being hit by the bits that were still falling down around and atop of her._

_When Alice finally made it to the window again, she reached a hand out more attentively and felt the static electricity of the magic surrounding the window and preventing her from leaving. It was the same magic that had kept her trapped in this tower for most of her life. And now it was back, keeping her trapped just as the entire tower seemed to be breaking apart._

_“It’s a dream.” Alice said, hearing her own panic as she stood and turned in a slow circle, looking at the pieces of wall and ceiling still raining down around her. “Just a dream. Come on, wake up. Wake up! Wake up, wake up, wake up!”_

_But she didn’t wake. For whatever reason she couldn’t force herself to wake up and the room was continuing to drop down all around her. Alice couldn’t be sure, but she had a pretty good memory of someone telling her that if you died in a dream then you died in real life. Something about the shock of it all giving you a heart attack. And she was pretty close to having a heart attack right now._

_Was this Gothel’s plan? Kill Alice in her own dream?_

_“NO!” Alice shrieked, turning and grabbing a piece of the broken roofing beam that lay at her feet and slammed it against the windows magic entrapment. In the real world it would have just gone through but in her dream the magical barrier kept her furniture trapped as well as herself and instead it bounced back against the invisible wall. “I am not going to die here!” She shouted, slamming it again and again but having the same effect as if she was hitting a solid metal wall. “I am not going to let you win, you manic bitch!”_

_But each time she hit the window, the magic sent a buzz of something like lighting through the object and into Alice’s body, forcing her back a step every time. It hurt but she ignored the pain, beating on the magic until tears began to fill her eyes. It was hard to tell if she was tearing up from the dust hovering around her face, the pain of the magic rippling through her body, or the hopeless frustration of the whole awful situation._

_“Robin!” Alice sobbed, dropping the roofing to her feet when another blast of magic made her fingers feel numb. “Robin! Help me! Please! Please help me! SOMEONE! PLEASE!”_

**O*U*A*T**

   “Alice!”

   Her eyes snapped open just as her body was jerked backwards by a sudden stop. Robin’s hand was resting on top of hers, keeping a tight hold in order to keep her from being thrown off. She had pulled on the reins at some point and the horse whined his annoyance back at her but eventually did as he was told and came to a final standstill. Robin twisted as far around on her seat as she could to look back at Alice, still keeping a tight hold on her hands in something close to a protective manner.

   They were not in the same forest they had been in before she fell asleep. Instead they were in one with trees that were much thicker and closer together, low hanging branches and a clear pathway with very little to trip them up or cause them or their horse much problem. It was quite a bit darker as well, but not night. It was more likely early morning with a chill in the air that certainly wasn’t there when Alice had fallen asleep. In fact her surroundings were her only sign that she had been asleep for more than just a few minutes.

   Robin swung herself off of the animal and instinctively reached back up to help Alice down after her. It was such a natural move that Alice almost thought Robin had somehow woken up from the spell on her own while she had been sleeping and that she was back to her old self. It was only when she was standing on her feet did she realise Robin was only being careful with her because Alice was still coughing violently like she was being choked with tears streaming down her face. On top of that, she was still shaking uncontrollably, and not from the cold morning air.

   “Are you okay?” Robin asked, looking torn between concern and unease, like she felt odd worrying about the girl she had hated not long ago.

   “Gothel…” Alice gasped, clinging to Robin for a moment before she stepped forward and threw her arms around her. She didn’t care how Robin went stiff against her or the way she took a small step back like she was trying to get away. She just needed to hold her for a second. “Gothel… She… She came to me in my dreams… She locked me back in the tower… I couldn’t escape… It was all coming down around me…”

   “Uh, hey, relax.” Robin said, awkwardly patting her back. “It was just a dream.”

   “No. She came to me. She used her magic to threaten me.” Alice pulled away, clinging to Robin’s shoulders and looking at her with panicked wet eyes. “I thought she was going to kill me through my dream.”

   “Do you think she could?” Robin asked hesitantly.

   Alice paused to think about it. “I don’t know. Her magic is weak now. Cause of the spell she cast. But… I was trapped there. I couldn’t wake up and everything was falling around me and-” Alice choked back a sob. “I was back in the tower…” She croaked.

   “That dream really freaked you out, huh? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you like this before…” Robin mumbled uneasily. New experiences for her all day today.

   Alice swallowed hard and then, when she couldn’t come up with any other words, she threw herself back against Robin instead, burying her face in his shoulder and crying softly against her familiar frame. She didn’t care if Robin didn’t hold her back or whisper calming words into her ear like she would have before Gothel cast her spell. Even if it was a one-sided hug, it was a hug that she desperately needed right now.

   And then she felt Robin’s – admittedly reluctant – arms rest around her.

   It was so good. Alice had no idea how touch starved she was until now. Having Robin hate her had been awful but having nothing turned out to be so much worse. Even when they were riding on the horse and she had her arms around her, Robin was so stiff and seemed to constantly being trying to nudge her off slightly. Alice hadn’t even realised how badly that had been hurting her until now, when Robin finally returned her embrace and comforted her like she always did whenever Alice was feeling miserable, especially at memories of her life back in the tower.

   “We should keep going.” Robin said. She still sounded unsure, but at least it was a gently unsure. “We’re almost to the docks.”

   “Yeah.” Alice nodded, sniffing and wiping her hands over her face. “Things will be better once we find my papa.”

   Alice climbed back onto the horse with Robin swinging on behind her. It was her turn to sleep and she was clearly eager for it but Alice found she was reluctant to let her. What if Gothel visited her dreams as well? But she couldn’t stop her from sleeping. She needed to rest if she was going to survive all this. So Alice made a mental note to wake Robin the second she showed any signs of being in distress.

   Unlike Alice, Robin didn’t cling onto her when she sat in front, instead loosely putting her arms around her waist and leaning only enough so she could doze without falling off.

   “Remind me again, why are you so sure this man we’re looking for is your father?” Robin asked suddenly. Guess she wasn’t so tired just yet.

   “Because he raised me my whole life.” Alice explained. “After Gothel abandoned me in the tower, he stayed with me and looked after me for as long as he could.”

   “Right. Spells and other worlds.” Alice could practically hear Robin rolling her eyes.

   “Why is it so hard for you to believe? We live in a world of magic. Isn’t it possible there is something like a curse or whatever that could change your memories?” Alice pressed.

   Robin didn’t answer her. Alice wondered if she was drifting off to sleep when she finally spoke up. “No. Sorry. I can’t believe that. Everything has limits, even magic. And according to you, Gothel was able to recreate the entire world? Not just curse a select few people but recreate the entire world? You honestly expect me to buy that?”

   For a second Alice wasn’t sure how to respond. Then; “Sure, there are limits. But people are always pushing them.” She finished lamely.

   She went quiet and Alice felt the nerves come back, even when she tried to ignore them. She couldn’t stop worrying about what would happen if Gothel appeared to her in her dreams and tried to kill her. What if Alice didn’t notice that she was having a nightmare? What if Gothel killed her too quickly for Alice to be able to wake her up?

   “Tell me about this other version of myself.” Alice said, suddenly desperate to keep Robin awake, even knowing she couldn’t do it forever.

   “What?” Robin blinked, she didn’t sound sleepy at least.

   “Tell me about this Mistress Alice that seems to scare the shit out of everyone she meets.” Alice said. “I mean, I know I have some magic… Gothel touched it to cast this spell and I used it myself to escape my tower but it’s weak and I can barely control it at the best of times. So why is everyone so terrified whenever they so much as see me? Am I that much of a bitch in this fake world?”

   “Everyone is terrified because you throw your mother’s name around like spare change.” Robin said, her voice cold and the arms barely touching her now. Alice didn’t like Robin pulling away – physically or emotionally – but she’d rather that than let Gothel kill her in her sleep.

   “And? Go on, I want to know about this other-me-self.” Alice lied.

   “I don’t know you.” Robin said sharply. “All I’ve known is the little that I’ve seen when you decide to _grace_ our little town with your presence.”

   “All I want to know is what you know.” Alice pressed.

   “I generally don’t know what to think of you right now.” Robin said after a pause. Alice twisted her head to glance over her shoulder and saw Robin frowning at her. “At first, I thought you were just playing a game, but then you started crying… Like actually crying... You’ve never cried before. You always treat people who show emotions as weak scum not worthy to take another breath in this world. So, then I thought maybe the guilt of everything had caught up to you and when I talked I thought it was your own version of dealing with the guilt. You wanted to make up for it but didn’t want to admit to it either. Then I figured you just wanted to overthrow your mum and it was all an act to get help doing the deed…” Robin said, then paused, leaning back slightly. “Now, I don’t know what to think. I mean, you sound like you really believe your story and we’re heading to find a guy you claim is your dad-”

   “Why is that part so hard to believe? Who’s my dad in this world?” Alice asked. She really didn’t like the fact that Robin was still thinking the worst and doubting her, but she tried to brush it aside by once again thinking about how funny it would be once she did remember and they could laugh it all off together.

   “No one knows.” Robin explained. “Your mum disappeared for a while. Then she showed up, with a baby, and continued her take over.”

   Alice didn’t say anything then sighed. “I can’t convince you if you really don’t believe me. So how about we go with the one that’s closest to the truth as I can get?” She said. “I want Gothel gone. I hate her. She hates me. So, let’s just say I want to overthrow her and move on with my own life without her looming over me all the time.”

   “I’m still not sure what to think. But for now, I can believe that much.” Robin said, her arm tightening as her head rested against Alice’s back.

   She was going to drift off soon. “Do you talk in your sleep?” Alice asked quickly.

   “What?” Robin said, snappishly now.

   “Just answer the question.” Alice begged.

   “Sometimes, why?” Robin said grudgingly.

   “I just… I want to make sure I can wake you in time if Gothel tries anything.” Alice admitted.

   “You don’t have to worry about me.” Robin said. “I’ve learned enough tricks over the years to keep myself alive, even with you and your mother looming over me.”

   Alice didn’t reply but it was probably pretty obvious that nothing Robin said would change Alice’s desire to keep her safe. She was still going to keep an ear and eye open for her, and if she thought for a second that Robin was having something even close to a nightmare, then she would wake her instantly, no matter what else was happening at the time.

   It was hard to tell when – or even if – Robin had fallen asleep, but after that she was silent. Alice wasn’t sure what bothered her more. Not knowing if Robin was going to be attacked in her sleep or being left in the quiet that once again allowed her mind to fill with the worst thoughts imaginable.

   What was her papa’s reaction going to be? Robin, her true love, hated her and even now she didn’t seem sure of what to think of her and certainly didn’t fully trust her. What if her papa was the same way? What if he hated her? What if Alice couldn’t get through to him like she had Robin? And Alice didn’t even know where to begin when it came to finding Rumplestiltskin, though she hoped that her papa would recognise the name of The Dark One when she eventually brought it up to him. But what if Gothel had changed it so he wasn’t even The Dark One in her world? How would they defeat Gothel with no magic users to help them? And that was all if Gothel hadn’t decided to hunt them all down by now.

   They kept riding long through the early morning, with Alice doing her best to ignore the thoughts she was having and instead concentrate on guiding their horse (which wasn’t as easy as Robin made it seem) and listening to Robin’s breathing behind her. It seemed to remain even but at the same time, it was hard to make out constantly due to the huffing of the horse and the clatter of its hooves against the ground which seemed even louder in the silent space than it probably was. After a while, Alice began slowing the horse down just to make sure that Robin was still with her before she sped him up again, only to slow him down again a few minutes later for another double check.

   “Why do you keep doing that?” Robin mumbled finally.

   “You’re awake!” Alice said, breathing a loud sigh of relief and she felt her body sag slightly. She hadn’t realised how tense she was but now that she was relaxed, she could feel each of her sore muscles and she had to resist the urge to try and stretch them in case it jostled Robin while she was still waking herself up.

   “It wasn’t easy sleeping.” Robin said. “Why did you keep changing speed?” She asked.

   “No reason.” Alice lied.

   “Uh, whatever.” Robin yawned, sitting up slightly and stretching her arms one at a time, careful about losing her balance.

   “How much further do you think we are from the water?” Alice asked.

   “Not far.” Robin said immediately, craning her neck upwards slightly. “In fact. We’re here.”

   At first, Alice wasn’t sure what she was talking about. They were still stuck in what seemed like an endless wooded area. And then a few seconds later, she saw it.

   In the very far distance, in between the thick brown barks of the trees, Alice could see the horizon where a blue sky met with an equally blue ocean. It was beautiful, glistening slightly with streaks of orange and pink from the start of an early morning sun rise and with a welcoming cool breeze that rushed over the waves before it made its way towards the trees and where the girls were still riding through.

   “Finally!” Alice said, and kicked the horse gently with her heels, clumsily forcing him on at top speed in the same way she saw Robin do to him earlier.

   “Easy,” Robin warned. “Even spells have their limits.”

   Alice slowed the horse down just enough so she could safely glance over her shoulder at Robin. “What spells?”

   Frowning at her, Robin seemed caught been confusion and suspicion (these seemed to be her default expressions since being reunited with Alice); “The spells on the horses.”

   This was news to her. Alice pulled the horse to a sharp stop, swinging her leg around so she could sit side saddle and face her love more comfortably. “There are spells on this horse? From Gothel?!”

   “Of course,” Robin said. “How do you think this animal has been going all day and all night without a break?”

   Alice felt herself blush and shrugged. “Strong stamina?”

   Robin just raised an eyebrow at her, snorting and nudging her slightly. “Come on, let’s just keep going.”

   Instead Alice made a sharp decision on the spot and jumped down off the horse. She turned to Robin, holding her hands out to help her. “No, we should make the rest of the way on foot.” She explained.

   “What? Why?” Robin scowled, ignoring her hands.

   “We’re not using anything that has Gothel’s magic attached.” Alice said firmly.

   “That’s ridiculous.” Robin snapped, moving forward to take the front seat and taking the horses reins instead of her still waiting hands. “We’ve been using it all this time.”

   “And Gothel managed to get in my head while I was sleeping.” Alice said. And though they both were pretty sure the horse’s magic had little to do with that nasty nightmare, Alice wasn’t taking any chances. “You said it yourself, we’re not far. Please, let’s just make the rest of the way on foot.”

   “This is ridiculous.” Robin growled.

   “I’d rather be safe than sorry.” Alice insisted. “And you kind of need me to find my papa so there’s no point going ahead without me…” She shrugged.

   Robin glared down at her in annoyance. It was a look that Alice was not used to from her, and she physically cringed under her gaze, taking a small shy step back. She _really_ hated how Robin didn’t trust her. How everything she said, Robin seemed to think over several times before making a decision on whether or not she would temporarily believe her. How every time Alice looked away, she could feel Robin’s eyes on the back of her head, judging her and trying to figure her out like an enemy that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. And worst of all, like someone she was waiting to stab in the back the second she had the chance to.

   Not that Alice believed for a second that Robin would ever actually hurt her. Despite everything that Gothel had done, she was still the same woman Alice loved and the woman she loved wouldn’t do that. Not unless it was in a form of self-defence. And even then, she wouldn’t do it in someone’s back like a common coward and she wouldn’t just outright kill them if she could get away with injuring them instead.

   “Whatever,” Robin finally grumbled, still scowling as she climbed from the horse. Alice watched her turn the animal around, giving it a light pat and sending him on his way to finally get some food and a drink, maybe even be found and returned home or taken in by some poor farm family that had need of him. When Robin faced her again, the scowl was still in place and she stormed passed Alice, purposely bumping their shoulders together. “Let’s get a move on already.”

   “What’s the matter?” Alice asked, trailing behind her. “This isn’t just about the horse.”

   “Yes, it is.” Robin snapped. “In case you have forgotten, we’re on a deadline here. We have no idea when Gothel will murder my mother and we’re going to find someone who _you_ wanted to find, remember. Giving up the horse, even if we are already close enough to the docks, was a stupid idea and I don’t know why I listened to you.” She looked like she wanted to physically hit something.

   “You listened because, as much as you want to rush to save your mother, you’re not stupid!” Alice said, rushing to catch up and grabbing for her arm, but Robin didn’t slow her pace in the slightest and Alice was forced to jog along at her side. “We can’t be reckless. We can’t trust anything that Gothel has enchanted or cast a spell on, even if it’s decades old in your memories.”

   “Don’t lecture me on magic,” Robin snarled, slapping her hand away. “I grew up with it just as much as you did. Only, instead of mum just casting spells to scare everyone for me, my mother actually explained her magic.”

   Alice didn’t want to fight. Even with a Robin who hated her, it hurt too much. “I’m sorry. I just don’t want to risk it. I don’t want Gothel to have any chance of finding us…”

   Robin hesitated, looking at Alice’s miserable expression before finally sighing. “Well, I doubt she needs an animal spell to find us but whatever. Let’s just hurry. My mother still needs me.”

   “We’ll save her.” Alice promised firmly, reaching over and taking Robin’s hand.

   Alice liked to pretend she was a tough girl when it came down to hardships in life. She was strong in more ways than one, after years of surviving on her own once she had finally escaped her tower, and she had to deal with a lot even when she was growing _in_ the tower. And then there was the added detail of when she found out who her mother was and what she had done to her. Her hard life had prepared her for the worst the rest of the world had to offer and hardened her to almost all forms of pain and misery that it threw at her.

   Yet when Robin snatched her hand away from her like she was too hot to touch, it cut right through Alice as sharply as a knife. Tears filled her eyes, but this time Robin didn’t even pause to glance back at her, instead storming ahead with her hands clenched at her side. And after a moment, fighting back the urge to start calling after her, Alice slumped along behind.

**To Be Continued...**

_Chapter Seven: The Docks - Sneak Peek:_  
_"I didn't hit my head, Robin. None of this is real and when you wake up, you're going to have one heck of a job making it up to me." Alice said firmly, stepping up close to her._  
_"Don't kiss me." Robin said, but she hesitated._  
_"I won't." Alice said quietly. "But if you want to…"_  
_Robin paused for a second, staring at her. Then slowly, leaned forward… Only to turn her head sharply and whisper into Alice's ear; "I'm good. Thanks."_  
_Alice blinked in shock as Robin pulled back, smirking at her before turning and walking away. It was the kind of thing she would do when they were teasing each other and trying to get the other riled up… But this Robin wasn't doing it to flirt, and that hurt._  
_Taking a shaky breath, Alice turned back to the water, filling her noses with the salty smell of ocean air and looking towards the distance. The sooner they found her father, the better._  
_"So, do tell." Came a voice. "What do you have planned for that pirate?"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Alice :( But if it helps, Robin's dealing with her own angst of conflicting emotions!  
> Also, we're gonna meet a familiar character in next chapter - however it's probably not who you'd expect! ;)  
> (Also this chapter turned out way longer than I meant for it to O_O)
> 
> Please comment, tell me what you think of the chapter, tell me what you think is going to happen in the next chapter, tell me what you wish would happen, tell me the square route of 46, just tell me something!  
> Thank you! ;) <3


	7. The Docks

   Despite Alice’s best attempts, she found it a struggle to stop the tears from clouding her vision. Each time she wiped them away, they were quickly replaced with fresh ones and it took all her strength to keep from breaking the heavy silence between her and Robin. Part of her wanted to, in hopes that Robin would comfort her like she used to, but another part was terrified that it would just make things worse – what if Robin just got even more annoyed with her for slowing them down even more – and so she kept herself quiet and fought the urge to make any noises passed the occasional sniffing. If Robin heard her or noticed her misery, then she pretended not to, keeping her eyes in front and charging slightly at a speed that made it difficult for Alice to keep up.

   Finally, after a much longer time passed than Alice had originally thought would – maybe she was wrong to demand they send the horse off so soon – they left the trees behind and found themselves walking on the soft surface of golden shaded sand grains. It was soft under her boots and Alice allowed her mind to temporarily drift back to happier times back when she first stepped onto a real beach. It had been right after she had gotten out of her tower and she couldn’t stop running, couldn’t stop exploring everything that the world had to offer her. She vividly remembered throwing herself onto the sand, comparing it to the pieces her father had often brought back to her in jars and vials. It was the same thing and yet it couldn’t compare to the endless amounts that stretched in every direction and was hot to the touch after sitting under the hot burning sun all day. It was exactly how her father described in every way, and yet it was still overwhelmingly different, especially because there really was so much of it in the world.

   That day had been among one of the best days of her entire life. But considering most of her life was a constant misery of one disappointment after another, it wasn’t all that hard to beat.

   “Hurry up,” Robin said, not unkindly though she still didn’t look back or slow as she took a sharp turn to the left and began to walk down the beach towards a small set of buildings in the distance.

   “Coming,” Alice said quietly, trailing behind her. At least she’d managed to stop crying now.

   As they came closer to the town, Alice saw it wasn’t a town at all. Not really. There really were only a few small buildings clustered together, but plenty of large ships lined up close to the wooden docks, sitting in the ocean water. She kept her eye open and glanced over them in search of something that might ring some familiarity bells in her head, but the truth was, she had never seen the Jolly Roger in person before. There was also no saying whether or not that would even be the ship her father was using here. He might not even be a pirate in this world. Every step Alice had made so far was one of pure guesses and hunches, and hopes for a lucky break.

   It seemed quite busy, despite its minimal buildings and the fact that it was just barely morning. The sun was still in the beginning of its rise over the horizon, and there was a crispy smoky smell in the air as the world around them began its wake up. Alice briefly remembered her father explaining this kind of atmosphere to her and how most people who went sailing always left in the early hours of the morning, especially if their trip was going to be a long one because it was never the best idea to set off during the night – those were the most dangerous times and not for the usual suspects like storms and violent waves. He never told her anything other than that, probably afraid of giving her nightmares at the time.

   “Where do we go?” Robin demanded, looking back at her.

   “Huh?” Alice blinked, once again caught letting her mind wander.

   “You claim to know this man.” Robin said, sounding impatient. “Where do we go to find him?”

   “Um… I’m not sure,” Alice admitted, shuffling up so she was standing beside Robin and looking towards the ships. “Everything is at least a little different in this version of the world. But… I guess we just ask if anyone knows a guy who goes by Captain Hook.”

   “Great,” Robin grumbled, rolling her eyes with another scowl and walking ahead once more.

   Okay, enough was enough. “Can you please just stop!” Alice said, she had meant to sound angry but instead her voice came out as more of a desperate plea.

   Robin paused, turning to look back at her. They were still far away enough for their conversation to be private but that didn’t matter to Alice. If she had to, she would have pulled her to a stop in the middle of the largest crowd she could find so long as it got her love to open up to her. Despite everything, she just couldn’t keep going on with Robin hating her like this, not while she was already feeling so alone in this new world that Gothel had created around her.

   “I can’t make you believe me.” Alice said, stepping up to her. “I can’t make you trust me. I can’t do anything like that even though, believe me, I would if I could. But I can ask you to stop treating me like this, at least. Because whether you remember or not, we do love each other. You love me, and I love you and it is killing me when you blank me like this. You don’t have to say you love me, or embrace me or return my kisses or even hold my hand when I reach for you. But could you please not stare at me like I’m the most disgusting thing you’ve ever seen.” Alice paused. “It’s truly killing me.” She repeated, slowly, tears filling her eyes again.

   Robin blinked, looking uneasy. “I’ll agree that we can’t keep going the way we are,” she said finally, her expression becoming very calculated as she thought about what she was going to say next. “So how about we try and meet each other halfway instead?”

   “What do you mean?” Alice asked, her chest knotting but she wasn’t sure why. Whatever Robin said couldn’t be as bad as how she was acting now.

   “I’ll try and keep my disgust for you to a minimum. Especially because I’m _still_ really not sure your actual motives here – I’m starting to lean towards amnesia of some kind – and you do seem to be speaking genuinely a lot… But in return, you will stop acting touchy feely with me. We’re not friends. We’re not lovers. And all you do is make me uncomfortable when you act like we are. So you back off a bit and so will I. Is that clear? Do we have a deal? You stop telling me how much you love me, and I’ll stop glaring at you when I think you’re being stupid.” Robin said, keeping her voice neutral so it was hard for Alice to tell what she was really thinking behind the harsh words.

   Alice took a slow breath, staring at her and thinking it over for a moment. Then she smiled softly, walking over until she was right in front of her again. Before Robin could react – despite her sharp reflexes – Alice leaned forward and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. When she moved back, she turned her soft smile into her usual cheeky one, ignoring the heavy squeeze that was putting a lot of pressure on her stomach and making her feel sick. “No deal.” She said, turning and walking passed her, waiting until Robin could no longer see her face before letting her expression fall.

   It truly hurt. But it would hurt more if she couldn’t hold her either. And Alice was still secretly hoping that something she did might accidentally wake the real Robin up. So she’d suffer a little hurt for now in favour of keeping her hope alive.

   As they closed in towards the buildings and ships, Robin pulled an arrow from her quiver and held it in hand but didn’t load her bow just yet. Alice didn’t question the action. It seemed people were not comfortable with Alice in this world (understatement), and there was always a chance someone could get violent or cause them trouble. And this wasn’t even counting the chance that some more of Gothel’s guards could be lurking around, waiting to ambush them at any moment.

   Alice hesitated, thinking over who would be best to ask, before making a snap decision and striding up to the first person closest to her that she could see by the docks. After all, she didn’t really have a strategy passed blindly stumbling into answers at this point. And the guy she approached looked a bit like a pirate… Either that or a homeless man.

   “Excuse me…” Alice began.

   The man immediately turned to glare at her. He was a rough piece of work, that was for sure. He had a long dark grey beard and a brown leathery eye-patch resting over the left side of his face with a series of frightening looking scars and bruises that lined every visible part of his face. But all of those marks were nothing compared to the ones on his knuckles and back of his hands. He was a truly spine chilling, vicious looking man. Until his eyes landed on Alice. Then he changed into something downright embarrassing.

   The man squealed in a comically high pitched voice, falling over himself as he turned and scrambled to put some space between them. His pig like cry drew the attention of some others who reacted in a very similar way. Unlike back in town, where most people seemed to freeze with only a few people trying to make a run for it, here it was the exact opposite. Most of the people made an immediate break for it, and while they didn’t have very far to go (the docks seemed to be a pretty isolated area) they made do with what they had by diving into buildings, hiding behind stalls and barrels waiting to be loaded onto the ships. A few people even hid behind their comrades and their friends and family, using other people as human shields to selfishly protect themselves.

   By the time everyone had stopped running and hiding away from them, the port was half as empty as it had been before their arrival. There was an intense silence and everyone who had temporarily frozen to the spot where now shivering nervously as they watched Alice and waited for her to make her move. But, in turn, Alice was frozen as well. This was only the second time it had happened, so it was still a surprise to see everyone reacting so harshly to just the very sight of her. It was a surreal kind of feeling. Not to mention a small part inside her which felt downright ashamed, even knowing she hadn’t actually done anything to any of them.

   Alice, feeling a little on the spot with almost every eye locked firmly on her – and the only reason not everyone was staring was simply because they were cowering away from her and out of her sight – turned slowly and glanced over her shoulder back at Robin. She didn’t seem surprised at all, but a little irritated with a hand on her hip and a raised eyebrow at one of the people who had jumped behind a fence close to where she waited. When she glanced up and saw Alice staring at her, she rolled her eyes and walked over.

   “What now?” Alice mumbled.

   Robin shrugged at her. “Go talk to someone.”

   “Did you completely miss the part where everyone screamed and ran away?” Alice said, conscious of the people still staring at them and listening closely in the otherwise silent area. The wind was barely there that morning so there weren’t even any loud waves of the ocean to muffle their voices.

   Robin sighed. “Look. I still don’t know why you’ve had a sudden change of heart, but you used to be a girl that people literally called Mistress wherever she went. And I think now is a pretty good time to get back in tune with that girl.”

   “But I was never really that girl,” Alice hissed. “I don’t know how to be her…”

   “Just be bossy,” Robin insisted. “Surely you’ve bossed someone around at least once in whatever life you think you’ve lived.”

   “Well yeah but this is different.” Alice grumbled, glancing at the people cowering behind their own loved ones to hide away from her. She had never been terrifying to anyone before. If Robin still loved her in this world, she might have laughed at the very idea. But knowing that her true love hated her, along with all these people being petrified of her, Alice was just left feeling mostly unsure of herself.

   Robin pursed her lips to the side in that way she did whenever she was thinking hard about something. “How about less general bossiness. Try and get annoyed. Think back to when someone pissed you off and you snapped at them, then try and do that instead.”

   Alice thought back. “Well, after I woke in this world, when I was confused and a lil out of it, I grabbed one of Gothel’s servants and, well, sort of _demanded_ answers from him.” She said carefully, looking shy at the memory of it.

   “Well do that here.” Robin shrugged, like it was really that simple.

   Before Alice could point out that she was no longer in the riled up state she had been, and therefore had no desire to attack people who were simply afraid for their lives, a woman stepped towards them. She was dressed in the second-hand rags of a female pirate, but in front of Alice, she quivered like a first year school girl, crouching over in an almost bow, but that looked more like an old woman with back pains and she kept her eyes firmly on her feet the whole time. She really was afraid of Alice. But the fact that she was stepping forward at all still made her the bravest person here so far.

   “Mistress…” The woman quivered. “What… Do we owe… The pleasure…”

   It was impossible to tell if her ragged breathing was from some kind of medical condition, or from the fear of actually talking to Alice. Either way, it didn’t make Alice feel any more comfortable and she was even more reluctant to bully these people into an answer. The guy in Gothel’s castle was a victim as much as anyone else and she’d been acting without thought at the time, yet these people were so much more pitiful. How could she man handle them in the same way? How could she punish them from simply being afraid of her?

   “I’m looking for someone,” Alice said, trying not to sound so soft but unable to help it. “He goes by the name Captain Hook?”

   The woman opened her quivering lips to answer when someone else’s voice echoed out strongly from behind her. “HA!”

   Robin and Alice looked up sharply – the last of the woman’s courage failing her and she dived out of the way like she had been shot, vanishing from sight to wherever it was she had found to hide – and instead a man came striding towards them in her place. The man was much older than the woman had been, and his clothing was a lot cleaner and more expensive looking, but still the usual kind of outfit you would expect a typical pirate to wear, right down to the hat on his head and the sword balanced on his hip. He had a leering smile in between a thick black bushy beard and his greedy eyes were locked on Alice with only a little fear, unlike everyone else’s terrified ones.

   For some reason, Alice found herself even more unnerved than before. His confidence was out of place in this world and judging by the way Robin tightened her hold on her bow, she felt the same way.

   “The Empress offspring searches for that no good Hook,” The man sneered. “Now pray tell, what has the fool done now?”

   “Who are you?” Robin challenged.

   “And how do you know… Hook?” Alice said, just barely managed to keep from calling him her papa. Something told her it would be best to keep that information to herself and Robin until she could actually find him.

   “Let’s just say I have no problem handing him to your waiting hands,” The man said with another sneer before shrugging a shoulder. “But I’m afraid he’s not here. He and his ship are far out into the sea already.”

   “When will he be back?” Robin asked.

   “Do I look like his personal keeper?” The man snapped.

   “Hey!” Alice said sharply, immediately stepping forward to defend Robin, even if she didn’t really need it.

   The man showed his first sign of fear at that point, taking a sharp step back and holding a hand up while the other immediately reached down to tighten around the hilt of his sword but he made no other move to draw it out. “I can’t help you.” He said quickly. “We don’t have schedules here. It’s a black market business around these parts. People come and go as they please.”

   “Well do you at least know where his destination was?” Robin pressed, pushing to stand in front of Alice. “It’s important that we find him as soon as possible.”

   “All I know was that he headed south. Believe me. I’d tell you more if I could. I’d love to see that pathetic excuse for a pirate strung up in the Empress’ castle.” He sneered.

   Alice felt a familiar anger building inside her and stood beside of Robin, glaring up at him. “The only one who’s going to be strung up is you!” She snapped. “You have a ship, correct?”

   He hesitated, then seemed to think better of trying to lie. “I do.” He admitted.

   “Then you’re going to set sail right away.” Robin said coldly, catching onto Alice’s plan immediately. “And you’re going to head in the same direction as this Captain Hook and you’re going to take us to him if we can’t wait for his return.”

   The man’s body went rigid. He looked like he wanted to argue with them but glanced nervously at Alice and bit his tongue before he did. Whatever bravado he had earlier, he was still afraid of what she might do to him if she lost her temper. After a few seconds of internally arguing with himself, he seemed to give in. Reluctantly, being too light a word for him as he did.

   “But of course, Mistress.” He said through gritted teeth. “We leave tomorrow.”

   “Today.” Robin said sharply. “No debate.”

   He hesitated again, actually turning red in the face as he no doubt mentally screamed his outrage. Alice knew that setting sail wasn’t as simple as Robin probably thought it was, even in this world, but she also wasn’t going to argue with her. There were probably plenty of procedures they could skip over to make their set off faster anyway.

   “Fine.” The man grumbled. “We’ll leave within the hour.”

   “Alright then. And before we do… What’s your name?” Alice asked, frowning at him, wondering how he and her father really knew each other in this world.

   The man bowed his head, his smirk back in place as he seemed proud to tell them; “Captain Black Beard. At your service, Mistress.”

**O*U*A*T**

   A few short hours later, Alice found herself experiencing her first time on a real ship, sailing across the open sea and into the unknown that followed the horizon. There was a salty smell in the otherwise fresh air and the sky was full of brightly light colours stretching in every direction like one of her paintings, all coming from the same burning source. The wind had picked up some now, and rushed through Alice’s hair, flicking a few pieces into her face so she had to hold it all out of the way in one hand, but she was grateful because the wind gave their ship the boost to get going as quickly as possible.

   It was exhilarating!

   “Why are you smiling like that?” Came Robin’s voice.

   Alice turned from where she was stood at the front of the ship, leaning against the side and looking out towards where the sky met the sea and where the sun was more than halfway finished with its rise now, looking more like a pink orb than yellow ball of fire. Her face instantly broke into a large smile as the other girl stepped up beside her, copying her position by resting her arms against the side and looking out towards the water, her hair fluttering into the way of her face slightly as well. Whether she was consciously mimicking Alice’s position or not, it was amusing either way.

   After Black Beard had agreed to take them in search of Alice’s father, Robin had immediately set out to helping him and his men to load their ship. She wanted them to leave as soon as possible and had ignored the few men who had scowled at her approach. Alice had also done what she could to move things along, but it had been hard giving a hand when almost everyone seemed to be avoiding her. It was clear that none of them were happy to be a part of this new mission to help Alice but they were caught between their unhappiness and their fear of both the Captain and Alice. In the end they all agreed to do as they were told but shied away from Alice whenever possible until it was clear she was slowing them down and being a hinder more than a help – no one dared say this to her, but she wasn’t stupid. In the end she found a spot away from everyone and waited patiently for them to do all the hard work, feeling both guilty and embarrassed whenever she caught Robin’s eye.

   During that long few hours (longer than they had intended) Alice felt almost lonely, and even after setting off, when Robin had been busy speaking with Black Beard near the back away from her. Alice didn’t know what she was saying to him, but she knew she heard her name being loudly thrown around more than once, each time resulting in the Captain cringing slightly before nodding his head like an obedient pet. It was a good bet that he regretted originally stepping forward to talk to them now but his fear was winning against his bitter reluctance to obey orders from others, especially two young women.

   “I’m excited,” Alice said cheerfully. She saw Robin scowl slightly and added quickly; “I just mean, I’ve never been on a ship before.”

   At that, Robin sighed, rolling her eyes. “Yes, you have. I know you have. You rode ship with your mum all the time before she settled down near the village a few years back.”

   Alice copied her sighing, hunching against the side against a slight chill that caught her off guard. “That wasn’t real, Robin. All those memories are fake.”

   “I am not getting into this again.” Robin growled, turning to face the crew. She lowered her voice. “We need to be careful here. These guys are afraid of you, but scared people can do dumb things. If they attack, we won’t have anywhere to run on this ship and there’s too many for us to win if things turn rough.”

   “So, what do we do?” Alice asked, feeling the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. All excitement about riding above the waters had vanished as she eyed Black Beard anxiously from where he was steering the ship.

   “We just need to be careful.” Robin explained. “But if things take a turn for the worst, then aim for the first boat on the right,” She nodded to the safety boats attached to the side, ready to go should the ship run into any sinking trouble. “I’ll hold them off while you get us going.”

   “I don’t know how…” Alice said slowly, eyeing the side boat – and its many attachments and clips keeping it in place – nervously.

   “Yes, you do.” Robin said, sounding extremely bored of the repeating conversations.

   “No! I don’t!” Alice snapped, feeling close to tears. She hated everything about this but now it was getting frightening. If Robin refused to believe her and then expected her to be able to do something she couldn’t… That could lead to one or both of them getting hurt, if not killed. At the very least she had to make Robin understand that she couldn’t do half the things she no doubt expected her to be able to do. “I swear, I really don’t know how.” She stressed.

   Robin glanced sideways at her, thinking it over. “Do you remember hitting your head by any chance?”

   Alice took a breath, trying to calm herself and unknot the pain in her chest. “I didn’t hit my head, Robin.”

   “It’s possible you don’t remember it.” Robin noted, raising an eyebrow at her.

   “I didn’t hit my head, Robin. None of this is real and when you wake up, you’re going to have one heck of a job making it up to me.” Alice said firmly, stepping closer to her.

   “ _Don’t_ kiss me.” Robin said immediately.

   “I won’t.” Alice said quietly. “Unless you wanted me to…”

   Robin paused for a second, staring at her. Then slowly, leaned forward… Only to turn her head sharply and whisper into Alice’s ear; “I’m good. Thanks.”

   Alice blinked in shock as Robin pulled back away from her, smirking before turning and walking back towards the centre of the ship. And suddenly Alice was caught in a mix of thoughts and emotions. Part of her wanted to laugh because that was such a Robin-flirty move to make. It was the kind of thing she would do when they were teasing each other and trying to get the other riled up for a night of love… But this Robin wasn’t doing it to flirt, and that made her heart ache. Even if she didn’t mean it to be spiteful, it hurt knowing the teasing was not in the same loving way that it should have been.

   Taking a shaky breath, Alice turned back to the water, filling her noses with the calming smell of ocean and looking towards the distance again. But even now the beautiful sight couldn’t wash away the weight pressing down on top of her. And she couldn’t help but think about how much nicer it would be if she could enjoy this view with the people she loved – and who remembered they loved her back – standing by her side.

   The sooner they found her father, the better things would be, she was sure of it...

   Unless he was like Robin… Alice was pretty sure her heart would officially break if her father actually rejected her in the way her true love already had.

   “So, do tell.” Came a grating voice. “What do you have planned for that pirate?”

   Alice turned to find Black Beard standing where Robin had just been. He was smirking again, but she noted the way his hand continued to rest over his swords hilt and a little way behind him, Robin was stood, watching the two of them closely with suspicious eyes. Alice liked to silently pretend she was watching because she was being protective over her, but it was more accurate that she was distrusting of the both of them, one only slightly less than the other.

   Keeping in mind what Robin said about being trapped on this ship, Alice decided to play along with the Captain’s idea that they were going to be collecting her father for a punishment of some kind. However, she also decided that the less she had to lie, the easier it would be to remember and avoid accidentally contradicting herself later on.

   “I plan on taking him with me.” Alice said coldly. She really wished this guy wouldn’t keep talking to her. Why couldn’t he just be scared to a quivering mess like everyone else? “That’s all you need know for now.”

   “I see… And what of his ship?” He tried to make it sound like a casual question – just a guy making conversation – but Alice saw the glint of desire in his eyes.

   “We’ll be taking that as well,” Alice said sharply. “I’ve grown a taste for the sea life, so I’ll make good use of it.”

   Black Beard paused before he cackled a loud laugh, taking a step towards her. “I like you, Mistress. And know, I am in your service. If you should, say, need someone to help take down the pirate you search for-”

   “Do I look like I need help?!” Alice demanded angrily. It was getting easier to play the role of the Mistress with this arrogant asshole who had some kind of a history with her papa, even if her knees felt like they were going to start knocking together at any moment. The longer the conversation took, the more likely it was that he would see through her guise and realise he scared her as much as she scared him.

   “Of course not,” Black Beard bowed his head, hand tightening on his swords hilt once more but again he made no move to draw it, just taking a step back instead.

   “How much of a head start does Captain Hook’s ship have on this one?” Alice said, glancing towards the sea again like he was boring her.

   “Not very much. A day or so I’d say. I arrived at port just as they left,” Black Beard explained. “But rest assured, Mistress. We shall catch up.”

   “We better,” Alice mumbled.

   “If there is anything I can do for you… Or your mother…” He began slyly.

   This guy’s creeping was really starting to get on Alice’s nerves. She tried to think of a subtle way to get him to leave her alone, but nothing came to mind.

   Aw well.

   “Leave me alone.” Alice said simply, not even bothering to hide the annoyance from her expression and refusing to look at him even for a moment.

   Black Beard blanched slightly, his face going into a frightful shock at her sudden dismissal before melting into something close to irritation, though he was clearly doing his best to hide it. Alice understood now what Robin had meant by scared people doing stupid things. All it took was one strong burst of fear (or even anger) to make them act without thinking.

   Finally, he gave her a stiff nod, turning and walking away tensely with his fists clenched over his sword and at his side. Alice breathed a sigh of relief after his departure, looking back out over the ocean because it felt like the only safe place for her to look on this ship. Her earlier excitement over being on the water had somehow faded completely and was instead replaced with a sweaty nervousness. She was feeling oddly like a prisoner again and, so as not to worry about the trapped sensation that was closing in on her, she focused instead on wondering what would happen once she was reunited with her papa…

**To Be Continued...**

_Chapter Eight: Sword Play - Sneak Peek:_  
_They all laughed, Black Beard’s stale breath panting on the side of Alice’s face, making her cringe as he howled right down her ear. He tightened his grip on her arm, the blade of his sword was leaving a nasty red mark on her neck and she felt a dribble of blood run down towards her chest. He was dangerously close to decapitating her. It seemed she was worried about Gothel for nothing, since it would be Black Beard that would doom everyone._  
_“Get that sword away from me,” Alice snarled. “We both know that if you kill me, Gothel wouldn’t be very happy.” This was a lie, Gothel wanted her dead and probably didn’t care who did it, but he didn’t need to know that._  
_“I won’t kill you, love. But if you are returned with a few nicks and bruises well… You were travelling with questionable company,” He sneered, looking over to Robin._  
_“You won’t get away with this,” Robin said, her voice coldly empty of emotion that made Alice nervous on the pirate’s behalf.  
_ _“Oh, be quiet, we won’t tell you again before we cut out your tongue.” Black Beard snorted, then nodded his head. “Take this one downstairs and tie her up.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alice getting help from her fathers enemy! My, what a day this is! Do you think Black Beard would be so willing to help if he knew the truth? ;) We may never know.
> 
> Please comment, tell me what you think of the chapter, tell me what you think is going to happen in the next chapter, tell me what you wish would happen, tell me your favourite crack ship from OUAT, just tell me something!  
> Thank you! ;) <3


	8. Sword Play

   “You should get some sleep.”

   It was getting dark now and Robin had spent the majority of her time on the ship wandering around and assessing it like an inspector come to see if it was fit for sail. No doubt she was planning each and every possible escape in case things turned sour for them. After she was done with that, she began taking note on all of the crew members as well; sizing them up as to who would be a challenge and who she should deal with first should things take a turn for the worst.

   Seeing her work so hard made Alice feel guilty that she was just standing around and enjoying the view, so she had tried to help in her own way by learning what she could about the escape boats. The only problem was that she was never exactly a people person to begin with and, like most people in this world, everyone on the ship was utterly terrified of her. They cringed upon her approach and the only one who seemed willing to talk past a few quivering sentences seemed to be Black Beard and… Well… Let’s just say that Alice wasn’t a fan of their little chats.

   After a while Alice gave up trying. She found out a little bit about the boats but she knew it wouldn’t be close to enough if she ever had to actually use them. All she could do now was hope it didn’t come down to that.

   An hour or so after Alice had returned to her spot near the front of the ship to once again stare out at the water and plan what she would say once she found her father, Robin had moved to silently join her. She leaned against the side keeping her back to the ocean and continuing to watch the crew suspiciously even when they did things as simple take a break and grab a bit to eat between them. Alice hadn’t tried talking to her, there wasn’t anything else to say at this point, and Robin suddenly breaking the silence had caught her by surprise, making her jump slightly at the sound of her voice.

   “What?” Alice blinked, rubbing the tiredness from her eyes and fighting the urge to yawn. They had been on the ship for an entire day now, and she had done little more than hover in place or nibble on the not so savoury food that one of the snivelling cabin boys (or rather cabin men) had brought her.

   “Exactly,” Robin said with the barest hint of a slightly amused smile. “You get some rest. I’ll keep watch and then we can trade places like before.”

   “I’m fine.” Alice lied.

   “Just go to sleep,” Robin said, shaking her head at her like a parent who was too tired to keep dealing with their insubordinate child.

   “I don’t want to,” Alice insisted, also like an insubordinate child, then shyly added; “Gothel might come back.”

   Robin sighed and looked at her with something close to pity. She reached up, pushing some of her hair back into place from where it was falling out of her plait and Alice caught herself watching the movement closely – trying to keep the longing from her expression. “I thought the whole point of getting rid of the horse earlier was to get away from her magic so she couldn’t do that anymore? Aren’t you safe from her now?”

   Alice shuffled uncomfortably on the spot but had no answer for her. That wasn’t really why she wanted to be separated from the horse. At least not completely. She didn’t want to risk any chances of Gothel being able to do anything to them through her magic but Alice had a feeling it wouldn’t do anything to stop her from sharing her dreams. But she also doubt that Robin would appreciate that kind of an answer, considering how annoyed she had been when Alice had insisted they give up the horse in the first place.

   Finally, after the silence between then began to stretch out, Robin shook her head again. “Look, I’ll be by your side the whole time. If you start looking like you’re having a nightmare, then I’ll wake you up.”

   “Promise?” Alice said with a little hopeful smile.

   “Sleep,” Robin replied firmly.

   “Okay…” Alice slowly sat down, leaning back against the side of the ship with Robin standing over her. It wasn’t exactly the most comfortable sleeping position – even riding on the horse, Alice had at least been able to cuddle up against Robin’s warm back – but she was so tired that it didn’t take long before she was drifting to sleep despite the uneasiness in her stomach that stayed with her the whole time.

**O*U*A*T**

   _The tower was already falling apart when she woke up sitting against the wall furthest from the window. And this time, Gothel was still hanging around for it but she wasn’t sat at the table (which lay shattered under a piece of broken wood from above) but was sat on the window ledge, her legs dangling outside, as casual as if she were sitting down for a picnic by the seaside. Alice slowly stood up, frowning as she glanced around with the odd feeling like she could actually smell the salty sea air that floated over the ocean despite knowing the sea wasn’t anywhere near where her tower was located (if it was, her papa would have found a way to show it to her)._

_While Alice glanced around the shaking tower, she did a slow circle, as if checking to make sure there were no other tricks waiting for her in the shadows. When she was sure that she was temporarily safe, she turned back to the woman still hanging around, only slightly worried about the falling rubble. For her part, Gothel was completely at ease where she was sat, which was surprising, considering how badly the tower was shaking beneath her now. It was impressive that she was able to keep her balance so easily…_

_Only then did Alice shake her head and remember that none of this was even real. It was all a dream that Gothel had control of for whatever reason. Alice wished she could fight her for it, but she also knew that, for now, there wasn’t anything for her to do. She was just going to have to play along, since Gothel would no doubt be leaving her soon, judging by how close she was already to going out the window. Meanwhile, Alice had no doubt that she would once again be trapped in the crumbling building as soon as she was gone and left there until her body finally woke itself up just in time._

_“What exactly do you plan to do when you find everyone? None of them will believe you.” Gothel pointed out, not bothering to look back at her while she spoke._

_“Leave. Me. Alone!” Alice snapped, running at her with her hands outstretched, meaning to push her out of her tower and speed up this stupid nightmare. She’d rather be crushed to death by the tower than listen to her smug threats any longer._

_But when her hands were about to connect with Gothel’s back, the woman disappeared._

_She didn’t vanish in a puff of smoke like witches normally did. It was just that one minute she was there, the next she had blinked out of existence. And Alice was too surprised to stop, ending with her body flipping over the window sill and flying out of the tower, the magical barrier no longer holding her in place and she just barely managed to grab onto the ledge before she was plummeted down to the ground._

_Alice shrieked in surprise, clinging on desperately and struggling to find a place to put her foot so she could climb back inside, but the window ledge stuck out too far (further than she remembered it did), and she was unable to reach the wall of her tower, instead left to dangle all the while the tower continued breaking apart on the inside. She could feel it shaking under her fingers, making it even harder for her to hold on but she did what she could, terrified of what would happen should she let go._

_When Alice glanced down, she found the tower was twice as tall. The ground was a speck with what looked like thorn bushes surrounding the base. That was definitely new. The sight of the ground at the long-distance bellow and the added threat on top of it, made her feel queasy and suddenly her arms were already beginning to ache from the effort it was taking her to not let go._

_“That was foolish.” Gothel said, appearing back on the windowsill by her clinging fingers, staring down at Alice with a smirk back on her face. “Now look what you’ve done to yourself.”_

_Alice forced back her feat and glared up at her, feeling a growl building in her throat. She wanted to start cursing the older woman with every last breath in her body but instead held it back and simply shook her head stubbornly. “You can’t scare me! This isn’t real! It’s just a dream! You can’t hurt me here!”_

_“If that’s so, then why are you still holding on?” Gothel noted._

_“Screw you!” Alice screamed, fighting and failing to remain calm, as she still refused to let go._

_“You’re running out of chances, Alice.” Gothel said. “Turn yourself in to me and no one else need suffer.”_

_“Never.” Alice hissed, wincing as her fingers began to slip and scrape on the concrete like it was suddenly made of ice. She wasn’t going to be able to hold on for much longer. The old question came back to her once more… If she hit the ground, would she really die?_

_Gothel sneered down at her. “Let’s find out.” She said, as if she were literally reading Alice’s mind._

_Without warning, she reached down towards her, grabbing one of Alice’s arms and ripping her hand free from the window. Alice gasped as her nail scratched across the surface and she clung to the tower with her remaining hand as tightly as she could, but it was a struggle when she was gripping on with both sets of fingers and now Gothel was slowly pulling her arm further away, threatening to drag her right off of the tower completely. If she did, would she just drop her?_

_“Do the right thing, Alice.” Gothel said coldly, the amusement gone from her features. “I admit, I don’t know much about you, but I do know that you love adventure. And is there no greater adventure than a noble sacrifice for the people you love?”_

_“And leave them to live in this world you created? That wouldn’t be a noble sacrifice. It’d be a coward’s way out!” Alice snapped angrily._

_“We’ll see about that.” Gothel said, pulling on her arm sharply with one last tug._

_With that, Alice finally lost the last little grip she had on the towers window ledge, her body swinging out, dangling in Gothel’s grip alone as easily as if she had been holding up a bag of light shopping. Alice resisted the urge to reach up and cling to the arm holding her. While natural instinct told her to grab onto whatever was within reach to keep from falling, her own pure stubbornness (and maybe some common sense) would rather fall to the ground bellow than rely on this evil woman’s touch._

_That kind of thinking would probably get her killed one of these days. But then, Alice realised, she could honestly say that she would rather face death than ever owe Mother Gothel anything in her life._

_“No more chances, Alice.” Gothel said slowly, waiting until the young girl looked up at her before she continued. “Do the right thing. Be that hero you like to pretend you are.”_

_With that, she let her go._

**O*U*A*T**

   Much like last time, Alice was jerked awake from her dream at the last moment, but this time it was not by Robin. Instead it was Black Beard who woke her, grabbing her arm and pulling her up as he twisted it behind her back before she had even fully come back from the nightmare, his sword swinging around to rest gently against her throat so that if she even breathed too hard then she would get a nasty cut. It all happened so fast and so suddenly that Alice briefly thought it was still part of her nightmare, something that Gothel had cooked up to freak her out even more. It was only when Black Beard tightened his grip on her arm and caused a spasm of pain that she realised she was awake and this was really happening.

   All around her, the entire ship was screaming. Or rather, not screaming, but cheering. There was an endless string of laughter as the men practically danced around one another, leering at Black Beard and Alice, before dancing away to do the same to Robin across from her. There were so many people crowded around her, that she almost didn’t see where Robin was at first, and when she did, she felt a hot burn of hate flare so sharply that she finally started to struggle against Black Beard’s hold, only stopping when she felt a slight pain along her throat where his blade bit into her skin.

   Robin was in a similar position to Alice. One of the members of the crew was holding her with an arm pinned behind her bag and the tip of a knife pressed to the soft spot of skin under her ear. She was standing stiffly in place, glaring angrily at the pirates around them with the fingers of her free hand twitching at her side, no doubt desperate to reach back and break the ones of the person holding onto her. Instead she forced herself to stay in place, waiting for the chance to strike back when she knew she would get away with it. Her bow and arrow were lying on the floor at her feet, just out of reach. Alice had no idea how they had managed to catch her off guard, let alone get her weapons away from her, but she imagined it was quite a struggle for both sides.

   “What’s going on?” Alice demanded, trying not to move her jaw and throat too much as she spoke, which turned out to be surprisingly difficult.

   “Quiet, girl,” Black Beard snarled. “Unless you want your pretty friend to lose her ear.”

   “Try it,” Robin snarled angrily. “And you’ll lose much worse.”

   “Oh, shut it. We’re not afraid you, girlie. We know that you don’t have the pull.” Black Beard sneered. “We received a special message from the Empress herself, letting us know that her daughter has lost the plot and has run away from home. There’s a handsome reward for her return but, you know, no mention of the girl she’s travelling with. I guess that means you’re all ours.”

   “Don’t you touch her!” Alice snapped angrily.

   They all laughed again, Black Beard’s stale breath panting on the side of Alice’s face, making her cringe as he howled right down her eardrums. He tightened his grip on her arm, the blade of his sword was leaving a nasty red mark on her neck and she felt a single dribble of blood run down towards her chest. He was dangerously close to decapitating her. It seemed she was worried about Gothel for nothing, since it would be Black Beard that would doom everyone in this world, which was strange considering he just said that about Gothel wanting her returned…

   “Get that sword away from me,” Alice snarled, some of her confidence coming back. “We both know that if you kill me, Gothel wouldn’t be very happy.” This was a lie, Gothel wanted her dead and probably didn’t care who did it (she’d probably be ecstatic if someone did the job for her), but no one on this ship needed to know that.

   “I won’t kill you, love. But if you are returned with a few nicks and bruises well… You were travelling with questionable company,” He sneered, looking over towards Robin.

   “You won’t get away with this,” Robin said, her voice coldly empty of emotion in a way that made Alice nervous on the pirate’s behalf.

   “Oh, be quiet, we won’t tell you again before we cut out your tongue.” Black Beard snorted, then nodded his head to someone in front of him. “Take this one downstairs and tie her up.”

   He swung the sword away and pushed Alice towards his men. She stumbled slightly but reacted to the temporary freedom at the same time. This wasn’t her first experience with a group of men twice her size trying to take advantage and it probably wouldn’t be the last either. Alice handled them time and time again and she wasn’t going to let these morons beat her out of all the others.

   So, when one of the bigger men moved to grab her arms again while another reached for a handful of her hair, Alice ducked them both by dropping to the ground and lashing out her arms. She punched one of them between the legs as hard as she could, while she swung her other fist around to catch the second in the back of the knee and send him toppling to the floor, bringing two other men down with him as he went. Alice leapt back to her feet, tackling a third who quickly approached her to take the others place. She wrapped her arms around his waist tightly, knocking him and several other people around him to the deck from where they were stood too close together. They hadn’t been expecting such a fight from her – even knowing whose daughter she was, they still only saw her as a little girl – and were too dumb founded to take advantage of the many openings she left them, giving her the chance to snatch one of their swords right from their clumsy hands.

   Alice jumped back onto her feet, swinging the sword around dramatically in front of her. She didn’t have time to worry about hurting people that might be innocent any more, and at this point she didn’t even care to try. The guard she spared never threatened to hurt her love the way these disgusting pigs just had. As she spun the sword through the air around her, she felt just one moment of resistance from a pirate who didn’t quite jump out of the way in time. The sword cut him deeply as he fell away from her and out of sight, none of his shipmates even glancing around to see if he was okay when he did. Instead they were all frozen on the spot and glaring at Alice, waiting for her to make the next move.

   Not that she knew what she was going to do next. The ship was full enemies with weapons of their own and she only had a single friend who was currently being held hostage by said men. She was still surrounded by them, except for behind her which was just the open and endless shark infested ocean, and that wasn’t much better than the blood thirsty pirates in front of her, especially when you took into consideration that Alice didn’t actually know how to swim. And even if she could run, she wouldn’t. Not while they had Robin held captive.

   “Put that thing down before you stab yourself with it.” Black Beard snorted, walking towards her confidently – once again he seemed to be the only one with little fear of her, but now Alice was starting to wonder if it was less bravery and more stupidity.

   “Your friend begs to differ.” Alice grumbled, nodding to where the man she had cut with his feet poking through the crowd, though she had no idea how badly she had gotten him, it was enough to keep him on his back.

   “One lucky shot doesn’t buy you any points on this ship, girlie.” Black Beard sneered.

   “It wasn’t luck.” Alice growled, swinging the sword at a couple of guys who had tried to sneak up on her left while she was looking at their Captain.

   “You think you can handle a sword, do you, Mistress?” Black Beard sneered.

   “My father taught me all he knew,” Alice said, copying his sneer. “The real question is; are you man enough to go against me in a fair fight? If I win, you continue the journey as you should. If you win… Well that won’t happen so why bother with the what if’s of it all.”

   “Are you challenging me, girl?!” Black Beard demanded, looking genuinely shocked by the very idea.

   “Yes, I am.” Alice said. Despite her confidence, she had absolutely no idea what she was doing. She had just been making it up as she went along so far, and she was not sure she could take the Captain in a one on one fight – her father taught her a lot, but it was all fun and games and she had no natural talent for it – but what other choice did she have? At the very least she could stall and maybe buy Robin some time to come up with her own plan of escape. “Now, will you accept and fight. Or will you show your men just how much of a coward you really are?”

   Black Beard bristled and glanced around at his crew. They all had similar looks of worried confusion that they shared silently amongst themselves. They probably would have been happy for him to refuse her fight but at the same time, no one wanted to be the one to say it out loud in case the others didn’t agree. So now they were left looking like lost puppets, waiting for someone else to do the talking for them.

   “Any time today, old man.” Alice snapped sharply. The more she rushed them, the better chance she had of them not thinking things through and deciding it wasn’t worth the effort.

   Without any further goading needed, Black Beard finally pulled out his own sword and took a step towards her. Instinctively, everyone moved back, so the only thing left in their way was the pirate Alice had injured. He was worse off than she realised and either unconscious or dead. Alice didn’t look too hard at him to figure out which, not that she had the time to anyway. In the split second that it took Black Beard to reach her, Alice ran her father’s instructions through her head, placing her feet how he had told her and balancing the sword carefully in her hand, but it wasn’t as easy as she thought it would be to copy age old memories.

   It had been many years since she had a lesson. Killian taught her a lot during the long hours of her days in her tower, but it was all light hearted and she hadn’t picked up a sword (real or otherwise) since then. Black Beard wasn’t just a cocky pretender either. He knew what he was doing, and Alice quickly found herself on the defence, backing away and walking around in circles as she did her best to simply not lose her hand. All the while the men began cheering again and the only other sound was the clanking and scraping metal of their blades smacking against one another, though it quickly became obvious that Black Beard was humouring her at best.

   This was not going to end well.

   “AH!” Alice gasped when Black Beard swung the sword down and she wasn’t able to turn away in time. The blade cut down along her shoulder, ripping her top and drawing a thin line of blood along the bone.

   “Ha, not so cocky now, are you, child?” Black Beard laughed.

   Alice was shaking uncontrollably with more than just a slight case of nerves now. She took a quick step back but Black Beard had paused in his assault to look around at his men and gloat. It pissed Alice off, but it also gave her a chance to glance over towards Robin – later she would wonder why on earth she hadn’t taken the chance to attack but in truth, she probably would have made the same choice time and time again if only to check up on her love.

   The man holding her still had a tight grip on both her arm and the blade dangerously close to her neck. But despite his firm hold on her, he didn’t seem to be paying much attention to his prisoner. It would have been her chance to break free but Robin was distracted herself, caught looking confused for some reason. She seemed more concerned watching Alice with a fixed puzzled expression on her face rather than taking the opportunity to escape. Alice nodded her head, waving the sword slightly in front of her and she seemed to snap out of it, giving the barest of nods that went unnoticed by the crew before her eyes widened in shock.

   “Watch out!” Her voice was barely audible over the cheering of the men around her, but it was enough for Alice to automatically throw herself out of the way of Black Beard’s swinging blade even before she knew it was there.

   “Pay attention! Or else this will be no fun!” He cackled.

   “Oh, shut up!” Alice hissed and lunged at him.

   That caught him by surprise. Black Beard twisted to the side just in time to keep from being impaled but the blade did manage to cut into his coat, tearing through the material and leaving it only half hanging on behind him now. It was a nice coat too. Maybe that was why Black Beard’s eyes suddenly lost their amusement.

   When he moved towards her, Alice ducked and felt the ends of her hair get trimmed by the blade that swung overhead. Alice didn’t even have time to stand before he brought the handle of the sword down, cracking it on the top of her head and sending her face first into the wooden floorboards with a flash of agonizing pain like her skull had been split in two. Her jaw connected with the floor hard and she felt blood fill her mouth, temporarily dazing her and causing her to stall. The sword was still gripped in her hand, but Black Beard casually put his foot over the flat surface of the blade and pinned it under his boot, keeping her from attempting a counter attack. Not that she would have managed much with her head swimming and aching as badly as it was.

   “Are you ready to give up yet?” Black Beard smirked.

   Alice accidentally swallowed some of the blood, pushing onto her hands and knees and glancing nervously over to Robin, but the other girl was hidden from view by the crowd of leering pirates. Their many faces surrounding her in every direction was disturbing – worse than any nightmare Gothel could give her – and Alice felt a chill run up her spine as she looked around at them all, though she didn’t know what she was looking for at this point.

   “Well?” Black Beard demanded. “Do you forfeit?”

   “Never.” Alice snarled, spitting the remaining blood in her mouth onto his boot.

   “Makes no difference to me!” Black Beard shouted, lifting his sword while keeping a boot firmly on top of hers.

   Just then Alice heard her love’s voice. It was distant still over the loud laughter and roaring cheers of the crowd, but her voice was just high and feminine enough for it to stand out, even if only enough that Alice could barely hear her words.

   “They’re pirates, Alice! Fight dirty!”

   Alice gulped back the fear that was trying to pin her body in place and forced herself to think quickly. Letting go of the sword, Alice reached back for the staff she still had strapped across her back. It wouldn’t do much against Black Beard and his sword, but it would do for now at least.

   Alice swung the staff round towards the same sensitive area she hit one of his crew with and Black Beard just managed to step back away from her in order to save his unprotected crotch, his arm swinging in the air as he struggled to keep his balance. As soon as he was off her blade, Alice picked her sword back off the floor and rushed towards him. She made it seem like she was moving to lunge for Black Beard only to change direction at the last moment, tucking the staff back on her back before she reached out her hand out, grabbing the hilt of an unattended sword from one of the many audience members still watching them.

   She had pulled it free and stepped back away again before any of them even had a chance to realise what she was doing. Now she stood with two swords in either hand while Black Beard spun around to face her for round two. He looked annoyed for a brief second before he saw her standing at the ready and burst out laughing, his stunned crew quickly joining in though she had a feeling they were just following the leader at this point.

   “You expect to best me with two swords when you can barely manage with one?” He demanded.

   “Do you ever stop talking?” Alice snarled, running forward again.

   Black Beard swiped his sword for her face, but Alice dropped at the last second, sliding across the freshly cleaned floorboards and slipping in between his legs with ease. At the very last moment she stuck both swords out, catching either side of his legs and leaving two deep marks just above his boots. Black Beard roared in surprise and pain as he stumbled forward, giving Alice a chance to jump to her feet, chasing after him and kicking him down, causing him to nearly loose his grip on his sword as he fell.

   Without pause, Alice ran over and stomped on top of his blade like he had done to her, swinging both her swords round and pointing the tips towards his face, ready for his forfeit. Her heart was racing and for a moment she felt a thrill of triumphant.

   However, it didn’t last. In fact, she didn’t even get a chance to give him the option to give up before he ripped the sword out from under her foot with ease, cutting into the leather of her shoes (luckily not deep enough to cut her) and reaching a hand out, grabbing her other foot and pulling sharply. She lost whatever balance she had and landed hard on her back, the wind knocked from her lungs and both swords escaping her grip, clattering around either side of her.

   “I’m done playing around.” Black Beard hissed, lifting the sword and aiming for her stomach, either confident he could stab her without killing, or no longer caring about getting her back to Gothel alive. Either way, Alice had no time to find anything to defend herself against his attack.

   Just as he started to bring the blade down on her, something appeared, leaping onto his back.

   Robin had finally broken free during the confusion of the fight, pushing through the excitable crowd and leaping up into the air, landing on Black Beard’s back like a monkey. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled so sharply that he dropped his sword, choking as he reached up to try and pull her off of him.

   The pirates seemed too shocked to react to this sudden turn of events, not having expected Robin to escape, let alone throw herself into the middle of the fight, which gave Alice her chance to get back to her feet. She grabbed Black Beard’s sword and one of the ones she dropped by her side and swung them at the men nearest to her. One fell back away from her but with the crowd so thick behind him, it did him little good. She didn’t hesitate to cut those closest to her, deeply along their legs and stomachs, spinning in a circle and cutting anyone else that tried to get closer until they came to their senses and all backed away out of her reach.

   Behind her, Robin had wrapped her whole body around Black Beard and was squeezing his neck so tightly that he didn’t even have the chance to think about a proper tactic to free himself. Instead he just clawed at her arms, spinning in a circle, making odd gasping expressions on his face but unable to suck in a much needed breath. Twice he nearly fell over the side into the water, or stepped too close to Alice and her spinning blades, but each time Robin just jerked his head to the side and steered him like a horse, controlling him without him even realising she was doing it.

   “Let the Captain go you little bitch!” Someone shouted from the safety of the back of the crowd.

   “Any of you move and she kills him!” Alice snapped, turning and pointing a blade to Black Beard’s exposed stomach, above where Robin had locked her ankles around him.

    The men all stalled. Then one of them took a risk. He lunged for Robin’s exposed back where Black Beard’s body didn’t shield her from attack and where Alice was unable to reach in time.

   A gunshot rang out.

   Everyone froze in place, except from Robin and Black Beard who continued to struggle and stumble around in the middle of them, his eyes bulging as he began to reach the point where he looked close to losing consciousness. Then the man who had lunged for Robin dropped to the ground, a rapidly growing blood stain spreading along from the hole in the centre of his back. Alice blinked, before she slowly looked up over the heads of the crowd who were standing just as shell shocked as she was…

   … And she saw her papa.

**To Be Continued...**

_Chapter Nine: Papa - Sneak Peek:  
   The reaction was instant. Killian was thrown back, a green glow shining right through his clothing as he collided with the wall and dropped to the ground, screaming in pain. Alice shrieked in surprise and guilt, resisting the urge to run to him and instead back peddling away, pressing herself against the opposite wall in order to give him as much space as possible. Panic rushed through her. She didn’t know what to do. Tears filled her eyes and she glanced towards the door, wondering if putting as much space between them as she could would help matters._  
_“What’s happening?!” Robin demanded, just as the door crashed open and Mr Smee came running in, followed by several members of the crew._  
_“Captain!” He cried._  
_“It’s the curse,” Alice sobbed, ignoring Mr Smee. “His heart is poisoned against me!”_  
_“It’s magic?!” Robin demanded.  
_ _“Yes.” Alice sobbed, glancing at the door but now it was blocked by the crew. There was no way she was going to escape. The men were growing increasingly angry as they watched their Captain writher in pain while the two unknown girls stood back around him._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DADDY'S HOME!
> 
> Please comment, tell me what you think of the chapter, tell me what you think is going to happen in the next chapter, tell me what you wish would happen, tell me what the closest thing to your left is, just tell me something!  
> Thank you! ;) <3


	9. Papa

   The fight with Black Beard had been such a loud and public show, all eyes focussed on the Captain and the young girl who challenged him, that none of the crew had even noticed the approaching ship, even when it was right on top of them. The Jolly Roger had literally crept up on them all, and then had the time to set up an attack, which included Killian climbing up onto the side of the ship, near the front and taking a slow aim with his pistol to shoot down the guy who had leapt into his view and attempted to attack Robin.

   Black Beard’s ship had been completely caught off guard. So much that they didn’t even know how to react even now, since it was far too late to rush around and prepare for a fight. If they even tried, then no doubt the Jolly Roger would tear them to pieces before they had all taken their first few steps. And worse than that, their Captain was still too preoccupied to give them any orders, leaving them more lost now than ever, like a series of headless chickens except these chickens were frozen to the spot, waiting for their head to return to them and tell them what to do.

   One of the men finally seemed to decide it was better to take a chance saving his captain rather than just stand around waiting. He kept behind Black Beard and Robin (therefore out of Killian’s line of shot) and ran forward, grabbing Robin’s hair and ripping her backwards, trying to pull her off of Black Beard in a single swift tug. Unfortunately for him, she had such a tight grip on Black Beard that the pirate only succeeded in choking his own captain even more when he tried to drag her off.

   Before he could try anything else, Alice ran over, pushing her way in front of him and ramming one of the swords straight through his foot and into the wooden floorboards of the ship with as much strength as she had left in her, pinning him in place. She barely had time to duck back again as Black Beard flailed and stumbled closer towards them, one of his thick meaty hands smacking the pirate who had tried to help him in the jaw. It would have thrown him backwards if he wasn’t stuck in place and instead he was forced to take the beating with a cry of agonizing pain from the sword jammed into his foot.

   “Robin!” Alice gasped, stumbling away from Black Beard and the woman still clinging to his back. “Come on, we have to go! Papa’s ship’s here!”

   Robin growled, squeezing onto Black Beard even tighter like she was going to ignore Alice and kill him outright, there and then. But barely a second later, she let him go, dropping to her feet behind him with an angry animal like growl of annoyance. When Black Beard rounded on her – coughing and struggling to catch his breath but somehow still ready to continue the fight – Robin had already reached down to where her bow and arrows lay at their feet. Even as Black Beard moved to reach for her, Robin lifted her fist where she was now clutching one of the arrows and stabbed it into his eye, ripping it free just as quickly. As Black Beard let out a scream loud enough to make Alice’s ears ache, Robin was stepping back and snatching her bow off the floor. She turned to face Alice with a scary look of fierce determination on her face and didn’t hesitate to pass her and to run towards the crowd of pirates standing between them and the Jolly Roger.

   Whether it was still because of their shock at the sudden turn of events, or because of how unsure they were as to what to do next with their Captain screaming and clutching at his bleeding face, or even the simple fear from the fact that the Jolly Roger was still baring down on them, all canons pointing their way, but no one made a move to stop her. In fact, they stumbled out of her way instead and Alice quickly moved to follow closely behind. One of the men hesitantly reached out for her, but it was such a shaky unsure reach that she slapped it away like a pesky child.

   Killian turned and shouted something to the rest of his men, but Alice’s head was thumping so loudly that she barely even heard him. She was very aware that the shock on the other pirates was going to fade away soon and so didn’t even risk glancing back at them while she was running away. When it did wear off, there would no doubt be hell on both ships with Alice and Robin caught in the middle.

    Suddenly the entire ship gave a great shudder beneath her. Alice squealed and stumbled, grabbing onto the side to keep from falling over. The entire ship was rocking beneath her feet and it took a moment for the cracking sound to reach Alice’s mind before she realised that Killian had fired a canon right at them. Panic flashed over Alice’s thoughts. She assumed Killian was rescuing them, but what if he was just looking for a fight? What if he sunk them all and then left her and Robin floating in the water amongst the broken remains of the ships floorboards with the very men they had just physically maimed and pissed off?

   Robin, who paused with Alice as the ship began shaking, glanced back at her. “Alice!” She began to shout a warning.

   A hand appeared from the corner of her eye and stretched out suddenly, wrapping around her mouth and pulling her back sharply. She immediately recognised the sweaty grip and hot breath against the side of her face. Only this time, he didn’t have a sword to her throat, but instead wrapped his free arm around her chest and arms, pinning her in place against him.

   “STOP!” Alice heard Killian shout back to someone, turning back around to face them and glaring down at Alice and her captor. “Give it up, Black Beard! The moment you move to arm yourself, we open fire! That first shot was a warning! I won’t give you another! Let the girl go!”

   “So, you can claim the prize of returning her yourself?! I think not!” Black Beard shouted, all smugness was gone from his voice and when Alice glanced from the corner of her eye, she saw blood covering half of his face from where Robin had stabbed him, dribbling down and soaking into his tangled beard.

   “Hand over the girl, now! Or your whole ship goes down!” Killian snapped.

   At that moment, there was a thwacking sound of an arrow stabbing into the wood at their feet. Robin had stopped a little ahead of them and turned around, bow and arrow in hand and aimed directly for Black Beard’s leering face over Alice’s shoulder. “You heard him.” She said coldly. “Or else I’ll be taking both of your eyes today.”

   Black Beard hissed in Alice’s ear and she cringed at the feel of his spit spattering against the side of her face.

   “You have been beat!” Killian shouted before Black Beard could respond. “If you let the girl go now, and head back, you might make land before your ship sinks.”

   Black Beard hesitated. He _was_ beat _,_ and he _did_ know it. Yet he still hesitated because it was his nature to never give up or show weakness in front of his enemies. After a second, he seemed to come to a decision and lifted his head slightly higher.

   “Alright, Jones. A deal. You can have one girl. Take your pick.” He smirked like he had him caught.

   “There’s no negotiating!” Killian snapped. “You have lost. Accept it or die here in the waters with the rest of your crew!” He paused and gave the slightest sneer. “I’m sure that wound on your face will attract plenty of unwanted attention in these parts.”

   Suddenly he twisted to the side slightly and pointed his gun towards the crowd. It let out a loud crack as he fired, and Alice winced, twisting her head as far as she could, just in time to see a man drop to the ground from where he had been nudging away from the others for some reason.

   “Anyone else want to try for their canons?” Killian demanded, looking at the crowd behind them. “I didn’t think so.” He looked back at Black Beard. “You’re not normally this stupid, Black Beard. Have you turned suicidal since we last fought?”

   And yet, still Black Beard hesitated as he thought over his options for another few slow seconds. Then his grip finally loosened, and Alice was able to pull herself free, gasping and running over towards Robin who tucked her arrow away and grabbed onto her elbow as soon as she was within reach. She began leading her firmly to the end of the ship, but Alice didn’t quite mind in the slightest. In fact she took comfort with Robin’s strong grip on her arm.

   They hadn’t quite reached the edge of the ship where the Jolly Roger was sat waiting for them when a thick plank of wood was thrown down between the two vessels. It was a thick and firm piece of rough wood that had a series of cracks and uneven edging stretching along its surface and sides. It was probably the best thing they had within reach to act as a bridge for the girls to cross over the ocean bellow yet Alice still wished they had something a little more confident building joining the two ships together.

   “You first,” Robin said, pushing her forward slightly.

   Nodding her head, Alice climbed up onto the side and carefully stepped onto the plank, balancing nervously and starting across it as quickly as she dared to go. She stuck her arms out to either side for balance and tried not to look down, or back, despite how desperately she wanted to make sure that Black Beard wasn’t trying anything to Robin while her back was turned. She also fought the urge to stare at her father where he was standing slightly to the side of her view, knowing they would be together in just a few more short steps and afraid the distraction might cause her to fall.

   Just as she reached the other ship, she felt the plank dip as Robin climbed up and began to make her away along behind her. Then, a series of hands were reaching up and grabbing her arms and pulling her down, but not roughly like she had expected. In fact, they were all very gentle as they lifted her down from the side, guiding her out of the way so that Robin had room to follow along behind her. Robin was much quicker, and even though she waited for Alice to get all the way before climbing on, she was stepping down again just moments after Alice had.

   With that, one of the pirates pulled the plank back onto their ship before anyone else could attempt to follow and, as if they had been waiting at the ready, they began to set off. Alice and Robin hesitated by the side where they had climbed down, glancing around them but none of the pirates on the Jolly Roger lingered nearby for very long. Instead they got to work like this type of thing happened all the time and they were used to picking up a couple of stray girls from other ships by now.

   “So… That’s your dad?” Robin asked quietly after a moment.

   She was staring up at where Captain Hook was still standing above everyone else, holding onto a line of rope and smirking at the neighbouring ship as they began to move, never taking his eyes or his gun off of Black Beard the whole time. They continued in the direction they had originally been going, away from Black Beard and his ship at an even and steady pace.

   As they moved away, Alice caught sight of the small hole in the broken wood just above the water where Killian had fired on them. It seemed he really had given them a pretty fair shake. They would have just about enough time to turn around – though they still might need to use the lifeboats before they actually made it to shore again. Either way, there was no chance of being followed any time soon.

   “This isn’t over, Jones!” Black Beard shouted, his voice fading fast.

   “It never is!” Killian shouted back. “Rest assured! I’ll be back to beat you next time as well!”

   Black Beard began shouting profanities after them.

   “I’d get moving if I were you!” Killian shouted back, finally stepping down and smirking proudly at his crew before his eyes landed on the two girls and his expression dropped.

   “Papa,” Alice said, happy tears building in her eyes as she ran forward without thought…

   Only for Killian to quite literally dive back away from her, holding his hand up as a sign to keep her back. It was so familiar, and yet still so hurtful as Alice stumbled to a stop in front of him.

   “Alice…” Killian said slowly, frowning with both worry and confusion. “You... You know who I am?”

   “Of course!” Alice laughed, her voice becoming hysterically high as she reached a hand towards him again with the tears dangerously close to flooding down her face. “Of course, I remember you.”

   Could it be true? Was her father also somehow unaffected by the curse as well?

   “But… How?” Killian said slowly, a sudden desperate desire in his expression but still he kept the space between them. “Did… Did Gothel finally tell you the truth?”

   He might as well have slapped her across the face. Her expression fell comically fast, and her arms dropped back to her side. The tears finally began overflowing but they were no longer from happiness.

   “What do you mean?” She croaked. “I know who you are because you raised me!”

   Killian frowned at her. “What?”

   “Uh, Captain?” One of the pirates said hesitantly. “Is everything alright?”

   “Yes, its fine, Mr Smee.” Killian said quickly, his voice turning very authoritative before he looked back to the girls. “Follow me. We’ll talk in my quarters.”

   Alice was visibly shaking. She didn’t even try to follow him until she felt someone gently touching her shoulder. When she looked up, she saw Robin watching her closely, a conflicted look on her face as she began gently pushing and guiding her after Hook.

   “You alright?” Robin mumbled as they followed Killian down an open trapdoor under the main deck.

   “No.” Alice croaked. “I thought… I thought he remembered me.” She whispered.

   “He does, though.” Robin frowned slightly. “You were right. He knows that you’re his daughter.”

   Alice shook her head but didn’t say anything. There was no point. She wouldn’t understand and at this moment in time, Alice was tired of trying.

   Still, it felt good when Robin reached down and gently took hold of her hand. She probably only meant to give her a gentle squeeze of encouragement but as soon as Alice felt her fingers slide around hers, she clung onto her love, long after they had entered Killian’s private chambers and came to a stop in the open doorway.

   “I don’t know where to begin.” Killian said softly, turning and leaning back against his desk, staring at her. “Yes, I do.” He looked up at her. “Alice. How do you know who I am?”

   “Why do you think I wouldn’t?” Alice said, squeezing onto Robin’s hand tightly, drawing strength from her hold.

   “Well, because your mother kept you from me.” Killian said, waving his hand like it was obvious. “I mean, she wouldn’t even confirm that you were mine…” He hesitated, and she realised he still wasn’t sure.

   “I am your daughter!” Alice said quickly. “It’s true! Gothel has been lying to you, I swear she has!”

   “Yeah,” He mumbled. “I always figured but…” He smiled. “It’s so good to hear you say it.”

   “If you thought Alice was your daughter, why didn’t you try and find her sooner?” Robin frowned. “I mean, Alice has been going places without Gothel for a pretty long while now. She couldn’t have really stopped you from getting in touch.”

   “It’s my heart.” Killian explained carefully. “After I came to find Gothel when I heard she had a child right after our evening together, I demanded to be a part of Alice’s life. I was her father. I said I had a right to know her… Gothel tried to make out like you might not be mine but… When I didn’t go away, she decided to keep me away. She cursed my heart.” Alice cringed. She wasn’t sure why. She should have suspected that Gothel would make sure to include her and her father’s curse in this dream world of hers. “It was dangerous for me to even be near Alice. And as she grew older… I figured you wouldn’t believe me if I came to you.” He looked up at her and smiled sadly. “So how did you find out I was your father? Did Gothel finally tell you?”

   Alice opened her mouth to tell him the truth, but Robin suddenly squeezed her hand painfully, stalling her. “Uh, before that,” Robin said quickly. “How did _you_ find us? I mean, how did you know Black Beard had us?”

   “Luck, mostly.” Killian explained. “I think everyone got the same message and I was on my way back to shore in order to find you first when I caught sight of you having your fight with Black Beard.” Killian paused. “Gothel’s message said Alice was imagining things and that she had run away and was to be brought back to her immediately so she could be cured.”

   “I did run.” Alice said, before Robin could say anything else. “But I’m not imagining things.”

   “What does she think you’re imagining?” Killian asked.

   Robin sighed, knowing she couldn’t stop Alice from telling her truth to the pirate. In the end she just pulled her hand free and walked over to take a seat by the wall. She was obviously huffing slightly as she did, but Alice ignored her, once again telling herself that Robin would be kicking herself over all this once she fixed things.

   “You might want to sit down, papa.” Alice said with a half smile. “It’s a pretty long story.”

**O*U*A*T**

   Alice remained standing for the whole duration of her story. She was too restless and being on her feet meant she could pace away all the extra energy that was rolling throughout her body. It also gave her a reason to turn away whenever Killian gave her a look that told her he wasn’t quite buying what she was telling him. By now, after all this time with Robin, Alice had pretty much accepted that everyone would be the same, but that wasn’t going to stop her from trying to get through to them. She was going to keep insisting the truth until they either believed her, or she fixed everything and put everyone back to normal. Then they could laugh about the whole thing together (in between their heartfelt apologises for the way they treated her, of course).

   When Alice had finished telling him everything, including a much quicker summary of how things were supposed to be than she gave Robin, she finally forced herself to stand still and face him properly. Robin seemed to have stopped listening early on, instead checking her weapons remained undamaged and cleaning the blood off of a few of the arrow heads she had used. But Killian was watching Alice closely with a slight constant frown on his forehead and a speechless, open mouth. When he finally shut it, he closed his eyes as well and sighed deeply like he was gathering his thoughts together before speaking them aloud.

   “I thought she was just lying… I dunno why but I thought she was making it up,” Killian said, standing and walking around the desk, still keeping a distance between them. “I guess I was wrong.” He looked at her with sad eyes. “Alice… None of that is real. It’s all in your head.”

   “That’s what I’ve been telling her.” Robin casually chimed in.

   “I’m not making this up!” Alice snapped. “It’s true. It’s _all_ true! Gothel tried to trap Rapunzel in a tower, but Rapunzel turned the tables and trapped her instead. The only way for her to escape her tower was to leave someone of her bloodline in her place. That was how she tricked you into sleeping with her to have me and then she _abandoned_ me there to get her revenge, but you refused to leave me and-”

   “Alice.” Killian said, holding his hand out towards her. “I met Gothel in a bar years ago. We hit it off and had a one-night stand-”

   “No! That’s just what she wants you to think!” Alice snapped.

   Killian sighed again, pausing to glance over at where Robin was still sat watching them. “And who are you anyway?” He frowned suspiciously.

   “This is Robin,” Alice jumped in. “She’s the girl I l-”

   “Met.” Robin said sharply. “I’m just a girl that she met outside her castle after she escaped.”

   Alice rolled her own eyes at the other girl, turning back to Killian and continuing as if she hadn’t been interrupted. “She’s my true love. But like you, she doesn’t remember the real world.”

   There was a pause while Robin shot her an irritated look and Killian was left to glance between the two girls, still looking very confused as he tried to figure out just how serious Alice was about this world she apparently believed in. However Alice refused to back down from either of them, putting her hands on her hips, raising an eyebrow and smiling calmly at the two of them in turn.

   “What are you doing here, then?” Killian asked Robin. “If you don’t believe Alice’s story, I mean.”

   “Simple. For whatever reason – whether she’s lying and planning to overthrow her or whether she really believes her own story and is as insane as her mother claims she is – Alice wants to take Gothel down. That much I do believe.” Robin explained. “So, I’m going to help take down that tyrant once and for all. And save my kidnapped mother in the process.”

   “You’re using her!” Killian accused angrily.

   “I’m doing what I need to, in order to save _everyone_!” Robin snapped back, standing and stepping towards him. “We live in fear of that girl’s bitch of a mother and if I have a chance to stop her by going along with her delusions of another world, then you can bet that’s what I’m going to do.”

   “You know I’m still here?” Alice noted, crossing her arms impatiently.

   “You took advantage of her!” Killian shouted.

   “A pirate getting angry at me over morals? That’s a laugh.” Robin sneered.

   “We protect our family,” Killian hissed, pushing away from the desk and taking a threatening step towards her. “And if you hurt my daughter-”

   The joke had died out by now. Alice rushed forward, physically putting herself between the two. “Papa, please!” She shouted, holding her hands up in front of her to keep him from advancing any further. “She doesn’t remember-”

   “Oh, enough with that,” Robin snapped, grabbing Alice’s shoulder and spinning her around to face her and keep arguing.

   Unfortunately, the force behind Robin’s spin caused Alice to lose her footing and she stumbled slightly to the side. She tried to stop herself, but it was too late. Her hands reached out automatically to steady herself but instead of grabbing onto the desk like she had been aiming for, she found herself slapping right into her father’s torso.

   The reaction was instant. Killian was thrown back away from her, a green glow of light shining right through his clothing as he collided with the wall and dropped to the ground, screaming in agonizing pain. Alice shrieked in surprise despite knowing what was going to happen the second she began to lose her balance and fall towards him. She had to resist the urge to run to his side and instead back peddling away, pressing herself against the opposite wall in order to give him as much space as possible. Panic rushed through her. She didn’t know what to do. She glanced towards the door, wondering if putting as much space between them as she could would help at all.

   “What’s happening?!” Robin demanded, just as the door crashed open and Mr Smee came running in into the already cramped space, followed closely by several members of the crew.

   “Captain!” He cried.

   “It’s the curse,” Alice sobbed, ignoring the others abrupt entrance. “His heart is poisoned against me!”

   “It’s magic?!” Robin demanded.

   “Yes.” Alice gasped, glancing at the door again but now it was blocked by the crew. There was no way she was going to escape. And the men were growing increasingly angry as they watched their Captain writher in pain while the two unknown girls stood back and watched him.

   Their minds catching up with the rest of them, one of the men turned on Alice with a nasty look in his eye and jumped over, closing the space between them in a second. She was so worked up, so upset over what was happening to her father, that she didn’t have time to defend herself before he had grabbed a hold of her arm, slamming her against the wall and pinning her in place. Even then, Alice found her eyes were painfully dry, like she wanted to start crying but she’d shed all the tears she had left over the course of this nightmarish adventure. But she didn’t care about that. She didn’t even care about the tight bruises this pirate would no doubt leave on her arms. All she cared about was what was happening to her father.

   Meanwhile, one of the other pirates had run to grab a hold of Robin in a similar way, but she ducked his snapping hands and slipped under his arm with ease. Before anyone else could try anything, she was running over to where Killian was still shouting and clutching at his chest, so loudly that he probably didn’t even notice what else was happening around him.

   One of the other men and Mr Smee had hurried to their Captain’s side but Robin casually swatted them away with the end of her bow, dropping to her knees beside Killian and reaching into her shirt. She pulled out a heart shaped glass-like object attached with a thin black string around her neck like a common piece of homemade jewellery. Except there was clearly nothing common about it. Without hesitating and before anyone could stop her, Robin leaned forward and looped the necklace around Killian’s head, letting the heart gem rest over the glowing light of his own poisoned heart.

   The reaction to the glass was as instantaneous as the reaction to touching Alice. The green in Killin’s chest seemed to be absorbed into the heart that Robin had placed around him, sucking every bit of poison out in the space of a few short seconds. For a moment everyone stopped what they were doing and watched as Killian’s cries died down until he was just gasping for breath while the glass heart took in the last few flakes of green from his body. For a second, the glass heart gave off a single bright emerald pulse, but then dimmed back into to its original dull shade, returning to the ordinary necklace it had been when Robin wore it.

   No one spoke.

   Then Mr Smee gathered his courage and moved forward. “Captain… Are you alright?”

   “Fine,” He gasped, pushing himself back up into a sitting position and scowling at the man still holding Alice against the wall. “Get your hands off of my daughter!”

   “But Captain!” The man cried. “She’s _Gothel’s_ daughter! She attacked you!”

   “Don’t be stupid!” Killian shouted, pushing himself shakily back onto his feet and charging threateningly towards them. “Now I won’t tell you again!”

   The man, wisely, let go of her, stepping back and holding his hands up in innocent surrender. Everyone had calmed down now, and the rest of the crew stood nervously, unsure of what to do next. One minute their Captain had been on the floor in agony with only two strange girls in the room with him (one of which was Empress Gothel’s evil daughter) and yet, it seemed that one of those girls had actually saved him. And now he was back on his feet, being protective over the girl he suddenly claimed to be his own flesh and blood. What on earth was happening here?!

   “Get out, all of you!” Killian snapped, waving a hand at them and silencing any protests with a single sharp look, until even his loyal first mate didn’t dare push any further.

   One by one, the pirates left the room. They climbed back onto the deck, each looking nervously over their shoulder at the two girls and their captain but otherwise no one dared question his command. Within a few minutes, the door was shut behind them and the three of them were once again alone.

   At the exact same time, Robin and Killian looked at each other, demanding; “What the hell was that?!”

   Alice, still shaking badly with an itch to her eyes, reached up and brushed her face, wiping away the imaginary tears that hadn’t come. She took a rough breath in an attempt to calm herself before she gave in and let her body slide down to the ground. She didn’t have the strength to keep standing any longer.

   But she could talk, even if her voice had a slight quiver to it. “It’s a curse.” She explained. “Gothel put it on us. It keeps us from being together, cause if we are, then it poisons papa’s heart and could kill him.”

   “The curse of the poisoned heart.” Killian said quietly, reaching to touch his chest. “It’s what Gothel put on me to keep me away when I came to be a part of Alice’s life.”

   “Actually,” Alice said, sniffing and looking up at him. “You were always a part of my life. Gothel’s the one who came into it and she put the curse on us but not for the reason you think.”

   Killian glanced at her but said nothing. Instead he fingered the glass heart now hanging around his neck and frowned at Robin. “And what is this?”

   Robin frowned back at the both of them, then shrugged like she didn’t care if they knew her secrets anymore. “It’s a trinket my mum gave me. She said it’s enchanted to absorb magical power and to only wear it when I was out somewhere new, so it would protect me from witches and magical attacks. She said it once tried to absorb her magic but she figured out a way to dull it down so its affects weren’t so powerful and dangerous to her anymore.”

   “You never told me you had that,” Alice mumbled, staring up at her.

   Robin paused, staring back in silence for a moment like she was thinking something over. She seemed to be wrestling with a thought for a long moment before finally wandering over and reaching down a hand, silently offering Alice a help back up. Naturally, Alice had no problem accepting her help, grabbing onto her hand and allowing herself to be hauled back onto her feet. Even when she was standing, she didn’t let go and Robin hesitantly allowed her to cling on for now.

   “I didn’t tell you,” Robin explained. “Because I was originally going to use it against you.”

   “But I don’t have magic,” Alice said quietly. “Or, I mean, not enough to do anything to you.”

   “I know, but your mother does.” Robin shrugged.

   “You thought this was a trap.” Alice mumbled, clinging to her hand slightly tighter like she was afraid Robin was going to throw her off and leave now that she had said it aloud.

   “I wasn’t taking any chances.” Robin explained. Her voice was cold, but her eyes were somewhat soft, and they had unknowingly moved closer together, still holding hands.

   They held each other’s gaze and it almost seemed like they were alone when Killian cleared his throat and reminded them he was still there with them. The girls looked up and Robin sharply pulled her hand away in embarrassment, turning and walking over to retake her seat by the desk. She moved casually and kept her expression neutral, but unbeknownst to anyone else; her heart was beating rapidly. And not from the earlier excitement of Killian’s poisoned heart.

   “So, this will protect me from the curse?” Killian asked, but he looked a little distracted, glancing from Robin to Alice thoughtfully.

   “No. It absorbs magic, but it also stores it, which means it can get full and I don’t know what the limit is. So, you may be able to touch Alice while wearing it, but there would be no telling when you’ve maxed out its power to protect you.” Robin explained.

   “But it will hold for a few times?” Killian stressed impatiently.

   “It should,” Robin nodded.

   Without another word, Killian strode forward. Alice barely had time to realise what he was going to do before he swung his arms around her. He hugged her tightly even as habit kicked in and Alice tensed as she half tried to pull away from him. But when he wasn’t immediately thrown off her by the curse magic, her own arms wrapped around him and for the first time in far too long, she and her father shared a hug.

   “Hey! Do you want to fill it up immediately?!” Robin snapped.

   “Sorry,” Killian said, letting go and stepping back away from Alice. Sure enough, his chest had a green glow, but the heart was absorbing it all so fast he barely felt more than a tingle in his chest and soon it was gone just like before. “Sorry, I just… I needed to do that, just once.”

   Alice smiled up at him. God, it had been far too long since they had been able to do that. And it was as wonderful – if not better – than all the dreams she’d had of it over the years of being separated.

   “So, now what?” Robin asked finally, breaking their moment. “We still need to save my mum, remember.”

   “Right, well, now that we’ve found papa, we need to find my friend-” Alice began.

   “Wait, hold up a second,” Killian said, looking suddenly startled. “Just what exactly are you girls planning here?”

   “We already told you. We’re going to overthrow Gothel.” Robin explained, more than a little impatiently.

   “Are you crazy?” Killian snapped.

   “Papa…” Alice began, trying to sound soothing.

   “No, Alice!” Killian snapped then hesitated and tried to calm his tone. “I have waited my whole life for the chance to meet you and to hold you and I’m sorry but… But you’ve lived with your mother! You know what she’s like, how powerful she is, what she can do. There’s no way you – either of you – could overthrow her. Or anyone for that matter.”

   “Yes, we can. She’s not as powerful as she makes herself out to be.” Alice insisted.

   Killian paused and frowned, even Robin leaned forward in her seat to look at her. “What do you mean by that?” Killian asked.

   “Gothel had to use both my magical potential and her own magic to recreate the world the way she did,” Alice said, ignoring the look the two of them shared. “And because of that, it took away half of her magic. She’s weakened now, so it’s the perfect time to strike before she can rekindle her magical abilities and come after us.”

   “Alice, please, that world isn’t real, it’s all in your head.” Killian stressed, holding his hands out but making sure to do it without touching her.

   “Just think!” Alice snapped. “Why hasn’t Gothel come and got me herself? Why send messages when, if she’s so powerful, she could just snap her fingers and make me appear by her side? How did I escape in the first place? Trust me on this, if nothing else, she’s weak and we can win, but we have to work together and take advantage of her now while she’s still weak before she can get her power back.”

   “She’s got a point,” Robin said quietly.

   Killian paused, glancing between the girls. “You really believe your own story, don’t you? You’re not lying, you honestly believe it.” He let his gaze linger on Robin for some reason.

   “How else would I know who you are? If, according to you, Gothel did everything to keep us apart, she wouldn’t have told me about you and no one else would have known.” Alice explained. “It’s because it’s all a lie!”

   There was, yet again, another pause around the room. Robin was watching with a vague interest like she wasn’t all that concerned by what was happening and patiently waited for an answer, but Killian actually seemed at a genuine loss for words. He looked towards his daughter but there was no doubt in her young eyes, no hint that she didn’t one hundred percent believe they could somehow take on Gothel and win.

   “You don’t have to believe me.” Alice said finally. “Robin doesn’t but she’s still helping. And if you help, too, then I promise we can undo all of this and fix everything that awful woman has done.”

   “What exactly can I do to help?” Killian asked.

   “Well, first we need to finish finding everyone. Including my friend, who just happens to be a powerful sorcerer.” Alice grinned proudly.

   “And, what? You need a trip over the seas?” Killian asked.

   “Well yes… And maybe a little further,” Alice said slowly.

   “Wait a second,” Killian said, holding up his hand to stop her. “You mean you don’t just want me to go up against the most powerful woman in the whole land. But you also want me to abandon my ship to search for a mysterious sorcerer to go up against said _most powerful woman in the whole land_?!”

   “He’s not so mysterious.” Alice said quietly.

   “Alice, I can’t just abandon my ship!” Killian yelped.

   “You did before!” Alice argued. “After I was born, you gave up everything to look after me back in the tower.”

   He let out a long and heavy sigh, shaking his head at her. “Alice… You’re not well.” He said, looking up at her with a slight hopefulness growing into his expression. “But if you stay here, with me, I can help you. We can be a family, you and me.”

   “And what, screw the rest of us?!” Robin snapped, standing up and stepping forward. But Killian acted like she wasn’t even there, still looking at Alice with a soft sad smile. It was heart breaking.

   “We can be together. Even with this curse, we just need to avoid getting too close but that’s not a problem.” Killian went on. “It’s a pretty big ship after all.”

   “We can be together in the real world, papa,” Alice said quietly. “You just have to trust me.”

   “This is the first time we’ve met. And I love you but… Alice, you’re… Not… Well.” Killian finished lamely.

   “I am not imagining this!” Alice snapped. “And even if you were right and I was. Gothel is still looking for me. She won’t stop, which means she’ll hunt down this ship no matter where it goes! Our only hope of being together as a family is if we defeat her once and for all!”

   “She’s right.” Robin said, standing up and moving towards him. “We’re all under Gothel’s threat. The only way to be happy is if she’s gone. Now are you going to help the daughter you claim to love escape her mother’s hold or not?”

   It was weird seeing them act like this towards one another. Normally Robin and her father always got on so well together but now, they were positively glaring real hate at one another. She wanted to get between them, to break up whatever might be building, but the last time she did that she almost killed her father. Even with the necklace on, she was hesitant to risk it. Not unless she had to, anyway.

   “If you’re not going to help us, then drop us off at the nearest port.” Robin said quietly. “Because Alice isn’t going to stop trying to take down her mother just because you want to play happy _ignorant_ families.”

   “How do you know what Alice will and won’t do?” Killian challenged irritably.

   Robin paused before shrugging her shoulders. “She’s made her intentions pretty damn clear at this point.”

   “Please, papa.” Alice said, stepping up beside of Robin. “I need you now, more than ever.”

   Killian withered under her wide eyed stare, taking a small step back before he turned around and paced for a few seconds towards his desk.

   Alice stayed by Robin’s side, watching him work through the silent argument that was buzzing around in his head. But despite her father’s show of reluctance, Alice had no doubt that he would choose to come with them in the end. He was her father. He loved and protected her from the moment she was born, even if he didn’t remember it right now. And more than that, he was a hero. Together they would find Rumplestiltskin and defeat Gothel, just like they already had done in the real world.

   “We don’t have all day,” Robin said when Killian continued to quietly pace in front of them. “I need to save my mother, so we need to get going. Now!”

   “I need time to think about this!” He snapped. Then hesitated, looking at his daughter softly. “Look, it’ll take us a day to get back to shore. Just give me some time to think things over and I’ll have an answer for you by then.”

**To Be Continued...**

_Chapter Ten: A Hard Decision - Sneak Peek:  
   Alice grinned. “I’ll accept your apology… If you kiss me.” _  
    _Robin raised an eyebrow at her._  
 _Alice responded with a smirk, stepping closer. “So how sorry are you really?”_  
_Robin stared at her before her lips began to twitch and she unsuccessfully fought the urge to smile. “You’re… Interesting.” She said slowly._  
_“Interesting enough to kiss?” Alice asked brightly._  
_Finally, Robin allowed herself to laugh. “If I give you a kiss. Will you stop asking for one like a child?”_  
_“Probably not. But I’ll be satisfied for a few hours at least.” Alice said honestly._  
_Still smiling at her, Robin paused, biting the side of her lip before suddenly leaning forward and kissing her. Alice had almost expected a quick peck, and so felt a thrill when Robin held the kiss for a few warm seconds. She almost thought they would continue things before Robin pulled away with a slight heavy breath._  
_“I apologise.” She said, nodding her head and looking very composed considering how pink her face was. “Now, let’s go over the plan for when we reach land.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Couple things!  
> 1st) The necklace Robin has given Hook is the same one used to sap Zelena of all her magic. I know it works differently in my story but OUAT breaks their own canon enough, so, so can I!  
> 2nd) I added the necklace because part of me wanted KnightRook moments and also because I found it was going to be hard for Hook to be in dying pain every time he and Alice gets too close, lol.
> 
> Please comment, tell me what you think of the chapter, tell me what you think is going to happen in the next chapter, tell me what you wish would happen, tell me how badly you cried over the latest episode because I freaking bawled!, just tell me something!  
> Thank you! ;) <3


	10. A Hard Decision

   Later that evening, Alice and Robin found themselves bunking in the Captain’s private bedchambers. While he trusted the men on his ship to do as they were told, Killian also felt the girls might appreciate a bit of privacy in a room where they could sleep without the pirates leering at them for one reason or another during the course of the night. And Robin was definitely grateful for even just a few moments of privacy. Alice, meanwhile, was too busy trying to plan their next move to be grateful for anything other than her simply being reunited with him.

   Once they reached land again and Killian joined them for their adventure – because she had no doubt that he would – the first thing they would need to do would be to find Rumplestiltskin as soon as possible. He was a key factor in the plan since he was the only person that Alice knew and trusted who had magic of his own that they could make use of. With him on their side, Alice was sure they would be able to take down Gothel once and for all, and Rumplestiltskin could then undo her spell with his own power, fixing everything for them.

   Simple.

   The only problem left was how she was going to go about convincing him.

   Getting Robin to help had been harder than she thought it would be, and she had a feeling that a lot of her agreeing to join had come from Robin’s real memories fighting to break through. A part of her that still loved Alice was telling her to trust her, but only just barely because even now, she seemed to be questioning every step she made. Then there was her papa, who seemed to be having the same kind of problems. His love for her made the distant memories would poke through enough for him to agree to come with, but she could already tell what a challenge he was going to be once they got going. Maybe even worse than Robin. But, in the end, would distant memories be enough for Rumplestiltskin?

   A lot of it depended on what Rumplestiltskin was doing in this world. There was no telling with Gothel. He could be a lonely spinner, or maybe a run-down sorcerer – peddling tricks to get by – or even a family man with a false wife and fake children in an attempt to keep him happy and distracted from doing anything to stop Gothel. No matter what life he had here, Alice doubt she would be able to convince him of the truth with just her story alone. No more than she had convinced the others. Maybe she should consider trying a different tactic with her old friend?

   Or maybe, just maybe, he would be the one to actually believe her. After all, he was always breaking the rules and getting his memories back, even before everyone else. Alice had a sudden swell of assurance that he would have done it again, this time, even though none of them knew it was coming. He would have some kind of safety backup plan for if this should ever happen to him when they were unprepared for it. Some kind of trinket that would wake him up like his and Belle’s chipped teacup, or a code word that could be said in passing or something.

   So, while Robin lay on Killian’s bed and caught up on some much needed sleep, Alice sat by her side – still making sure that her mother didn’t try anything with her during her dreams – and planned out exactly how she would tell Rumplestiltskin the same story she had told the others. Then, once she had her father, her love, and her friend all on her side, they would be able to hunt down Gothel together.

   It might be an idea to try and find Regina or some of the others, but at the same time, Alice didn’t know them well enough to attempt to convince them of the truth the way she had her father and love. And even if she did, there wasn’t time to find all of them. They were already stretching their time as it was, finding Killian and then Rumplestiltskin. And anyway, Alice really was sure that Rumplestiltskin would be enough to take down Gothel. He was The Dark One after all. Gothel, no matter what her origins, was still just some run of the mill wannabe next to him and his power.

   At that moment, in the middle of Alice’s thoughts, Robin began mumbling. She had been quiet up until now and Alice’s nerves were immediately set on edge by the sudden unexpected sound. She jumped to her feet, leaning over Robin and checking her facial features. Sure enough, she was twitching and twisting, her mumbling getting louder and turning to weak moans and slight whimpers as her head and shoulders cringed away from something in her mind.

   Yeah. Definitely a nightmare.

   “Robin!” Alice said, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her against the mattress. She wasn’t sure if she should have attempted to wake her gently, but she was also too worried to even think about it at the time. “Robin! Wake up!”

   Robin’s eyes snapped open and she sat up sharply, nearly throwing Alice to the floor and gasping hard as she shivered uncontrollably like she was cold yet there was a faint sheen of sweat coating her face and neck. Alice reacted out of instinct more than anything as she climbed onto the bed beside her, wrapping her arms around the other girl and holding her close. She began rubbing her shoulder and back, kissing the side of her face softly, in a way that she used to before Drizella’s curse was cast. It was so familiar that she almost forgot about everything but those few seconds spent comforting her love. Robin didn’t even fight her, for once, instead leaning back into Alice’s arms and shutting her eyes for a moment as she felt her body slowly calm and her breathing even out.

   It took her a few minutes, but when Robin finally did calm down, she still didn’t immediately pull away from Alice’s arms. In fact she even leaned slightly further into her, resting her head on Alice’s shoulder and relaxing her body against hers like it belonged there. It was good to be together again, even if only for a short while and when Robin pulled away a good few minutes later, it still felt like she had moved all too soon.

   “You okay?” Alice asked when Robin sat up and shuffled slightly out of her hold. She reached over, taking Robin’s hand and squeezing gently in both comfort and defiance. She wouldn’t let her go, even if Robin thought that she wanted her to.

   “I’m fine,” Robin said, swallowing hard like she was fighting the urge to throw up. “Just a nightmare.”

   “Do you want to talk about it?” Alice encouraged gently.

   “No.” Robin said, snatching her hand away sharply and standing from the bed, putting some space between them.

   “Why not?” Alice demanded, unable to hide the hurt from her expression as she stood from the bed and followed her. “Please, I just want to help.”

   “Well I don’t want your help!” Robin snapped, rounding to glare at her.

   However, Alice saw something else in her eyes. It wasn’t the same glare she gave even when she had originally thought she hated Alice. No, there was something else behind that emerald gaze and Alice crossed her arms, nodding her head in a knowing way. “It was Gothel, wasn’t it?” Robin looked away. “What did she do? Robin, tell me, please.” She pressed.

   “She just was… At my home. She was in my living room.” Robin sighed, wandering back over to the bed and perching herself carefully on the edge. She didn’t even say anything when Alice walked over and retook her place by her side. “She was in my mother’s chair, wearing my mother’s clothes, just staring into the fire when I walked into the room. Then she started commenting on how well me and my mother have done over the years…” She paused. “Then she said it was a pity it was over.”

   When Robin hesitated again for even longer a stretch of time, Alice retook her hand, more gently this time, giving her the offer to pull away if she wanted. She looked like she might at first but then Robin let her fingers just barely wrap around Alice’s. “What happened after that?” Alice asked softly.

   “Then I reached for an arrow, but my weapons were gone.” Robin explained. “And she started laughing about how there was nothing I could do to hurt her and…” She paused, then turned to look at Alice with hard eyes. “And that _you_ were going to hurt me. You were going to lead me to my death, and my mother would suffer alongside me the whole way. She said you were more evil than her, that she’d done her best to keep you in check all these years, but you escaped and if I wanted me or my mother to make it out alive then I should turn you in to her. Give you up so she can protect the world from you.”

   “She’s lying!” Alice said immediately, a rush of fear clawing at her from the inside. “Robin, you have to believe me, she’s full of lies-”

   Robin grabbed both of Alice’s hands and held them between her own, shutting her up. “I know she was lying.” She said calmly.

   “You do?” Alice blinked. “How? I mean, not that I’m not relieved and happy that you know but… You trust me?”

   “Well, let’s say that I trust you more than I trust her,” Robin explained, lowering their hands but not letting go of them. “Gothel tried to tell me you were more evil than she was, and that all of this, everything you have done and said was all just a cunning trick…” She paused and shook her head. “But I’ve seen you at your most raw, Alice. I’ve seen you crying in the woods when you were all alone, and then cry for your father when he was hurt by the curse she put on him. That was real, honest, emotion. And I’m truly starting to think that you really believe your own story. If nothing else… I trust that you’re being honest with me.”

   Alice felt herself smile up at Robin softly, feeling a burst of love for her all over again. And in response, Robin turned away, looking like she was a embarrassed with the intensity of Alice’s gaze yet she didn’t try to put any more space between them either. Because of that, Alice took the chance given to her and leaned towards the other girl, pressing a soft but firm kiss onto her lips.

   When Robin didn’t pull back from her kiss, Alice took the chance and pushed harder against her lips, leaning close to her and letting go of her hands to cradle the side of her face, stroking the soft skin of her cheek with her thumb. She had her eyes shut, so she couldn’t see Robin’s face, but she could feel it. The other girl wasn’t tense, and she wasn’t pulling away from her. After another moment Alice allowed her hand to drift down and rest on Robin’s hip, parting her lips slightly and deepening the kiss.

   Still Robin made no move to pull away from her. In fact, her own hand moved to rest very gently on Alice’s knee in a way that was almost encouraging. She was still clearly somewhat hesitant about it but not enough to push Alice away and so she took that as the okay to continue easing along even further with their kiss.

   With that in mind, she pushed her tongue forward slightly, prodding against Robin’s lips until the other girl parted them and allowed her temporary access. At the same time, Alice slid an arm around Robin’s back, shifting a little closer so she was almost sitting in her lap, sliding a hand into her hair and pulling back only for a short second to catch her breath before she moved back to kiss her again.

   Alice’s body was growing suddenly very warm. She shuffled a little closer, so she was completely sitting on one of Robin’s leg and had to resist the urge to push her down and starting pulling her shirt off. They were having a moment – and it was truly wonderful – but she wasn’t going to do anything stupid by pushing her luck. They could have all the wonderful moments that would go above a beyond a simple kiss once they had fixed this mess of a world. For now, Alice was just happy to have even this. For now, at least.

   So instead of pushing her down onto the bed and relieving her of the tight fitting clothes like Alice desperately wanted to, she instead wrapped both her arms around of Robin’s shoulders, pressing their bodies close together and twisting slightly on her lap so their bodies lightly rubbed against one another. Then she felt Robin’s hand sliding up to rest on her thigh, while her other reached up and gently touched Alice’s elbow. Again, it still wasn’t the encouragement Alice would have liked – she was clearly very unsure about what she was doing like it was her first time getting this close to another person – but nor was she pushing her away...

   And then, just like that, she did.

   It was great disappointment when Alice felt Robin finally pull back away from her, tightening her grip on Alice’s arm to keep her from following her as she did. They were both breathless at this point and Alice finally opened her eyes to see that Robin had flushed bright pink along the whole of her face. For a moment they stared at one another in a silence filled only with their rhythmic panting. Alice looked into Robin’s eyes and fought the urge to lean forward and kiss her again. Instead, she decided to be slightly less risky and settle with touching their foreheads against one another, leaving the invitation open for Robin to make the next move.

   And she really hoped she would, but Robin decided not to, clearing her throat awkwardly and looking away from her. She wet her lips nervously before gently pushing Alice’s leg off of her own, sliding her off her lap and back onto the bed by her side. Then she stood up, brushing herself down and straightening her clothes like she was making herself presentable again, though they really hadn’t gotten far enough to have need of that kind of fixing.

   “You can’t pretend you didn’t feel something.” Alice said, watching her with a small amused smile.

   “Oh, I felt something,” Robin said, turning to look down at her. Her expression was hard to read, but it was like a mix between amusement and boredom. “And if you were anyone else at any other time, I’d have taken advantage of it.”

   “Anyone else?” Alice said, unable to hide the hurt from her expression as her smile dropped.

   “Well, you are still Gothel’s daughter.” Robin noted, crossing her arms. “And I do think you are being honest. At the very least you believe your own story. But that doesn’t make it real and it doesn’t erase all the bad things you’ve done in the past.”

   Alice stood. “I know you don’t believe me. I accept that, and when this is over, you can bet I will hold this over your head for years to come.” She smiled jokingly before becoming serious again. “But I’ll keep telling you anyway. None of that was real. I never hurt anyone. And whether or not you remember, you love me, and I love you. That’s why the kiss felt so good, because the old you misses me and is hungry for more than just a kiss.” She walked over, grabbing Robin’s hand and pecking her on the cheek.

   “So you say.” Was all Robin said as she uncrossed her arms. “I guess I do owe you an apology at least.”

   “You do?” Alice blinked. “I mean, you do… But remind me what for, again?”

   “Back with the horse. You were concerned that Gothel was going to get into my dreams and so you wanted us away from it, for my safety as much as yours. I gave you a hard time but, the truth is, it turned out you were right.” Robin shrugged. “I guess Gothel never got in before because the necklace I gave to your dad but, she was probably trying and the horse did have her magical prints all over it. You were just doing what you could to keep her out and away from us both. So… I’m sorry.”

   Alice grinned at her. “I’ll accept your apology… If you kiss me.”

   Robin raised an eyebrow at her. “What do you call what we literally just did? Twice, technically if you count the time we broke apart to catch our breath.”

   “That was a hot and heavy make out session, and it was fun. But it wasn’t an apology kiss.” Alice smirked, stepping closer to her. “So how sorry are you really?”

   Robin stared at her before her lips began to twitch and she unsuccessfully fought the urge to smile. “You’re… Interesting.” She said slowly.

   “Interesting enough to kiss?” Alice asked brightly.

   Finally, Robin let herself laugh aloud. “If I give you a kiss. Will you stop asking for one like a child?”

   “Probably not. But I’ll be satisfied for a few hours at least.” Alice said honestly.

   Still smiling, Robin paused, biting the side of her lip before suddenly leaning forward and kissing her. Alice had almost expected a quick peck from her, and so felt a thrill when Robin held the kiss for a few warm seconds. She almost thought they would continue where they left off before Robin pulled away again.

   “I apologise.” She said, nodding her head before returning back to business. “Now, let’s go over the plan for once we reach land.”

   Alice moaned playfully. “We were having fun!”

   “And now the fun’s over.” Robin said serious, sitting on one end of the bed and waving Alice to sit in front of her by the head. She did so – a little reluctantly – but made a point of scooting close enough that their crossed legs touched knee to knee. “So, let’s say your dad agrees to come with us-”

   “He will.” Alice interrupted confidently.

   “Let’s say he does.” Robin went on, raising her voice over the top of Alice’s. “Even if we have him on our side, how will that help us defeat Gothel? Even with half her magic power, that’s still a half more than any of us have. Unless you’ve discovered how to touch that so-called untouched magic you claim to have.”

   “I think it’s called untouchable for a reason. I used it once to get out of my tower and after we met to escape a mob but it was never really on purpose and only when I was really feeling something and that was back before the curse forced it back down again when we went to the land without magic.” Alice explained. “The power’s there. But I don’t think I’ll ever be able to reach it again. Not after Gothel took, probably all of it to cast this dumb spell.”

   “So, what are we going to do against Gothel?” Robin pressed.

   “After we get to land, dad will be able to take us to an old… frenemy of his.” Alice said slowly.

   “A what?” Robin frowned.

   “Friend-Enemy. They get along now but I know they used to be enemies. You probably don’t remember him but let’s just say he’s a powerful sorcerer who can help us.” Alice explained. “Hopefully dad will remember him, but if not then I’m pretty sure I can find a way to summon him to us.”

   “And he’ll help us… Why?” Robin asked.

   Alice smiled. “Because I’ll ask him. He and I are good friends and if he doesn’t remember me, well, then I’m sure he’ll still remember how much he hates Gothel and he’ll be happy to help us bring her down.”

   “Then we’ll still have to get back to Gothel’s castle.” Robin noted.

   “He’ll be able to magic us there no problem.” Alice beamed.

   “Okay then…” Robin said sceptically. Alice seemed to have an answer for everything and she wasn’t sure if that was her being ignorant or confident or ignorantly confident. “And so, what do we do if the Captain doesn’t agree to come with us?”

   “He will.” Alice insisted.

   Robin sighed, rolling her eyes and dropping her head forward before looking up again. “Alice. We need to be practical. Which means looking at all potential problems, including the possibility that your father might decide not to come with us.” She didn’t give Alice a chance to argue before continuing. “You said you could summon your sorcerer friend even without the pirates help?”

   “I can try.” Alice said quietly. She didn’t want to rely on that though. In this world Gothel seemed to be Empress of more than just the land. If possible, Alice wanted to avoid using magic to summon Rumplestiltskin in case she was able to latch on to it somehow and realise what they were up to, giving her the chance to plan a way to stop them.

   Robin nodded. “Then that will be our backup plan.”

   “We won’t need a backup plan.” Alice said. “I know my papa. He won’t let us down, I know he won’t.”

   Robin pursed her lips to the side, concentrating before she leaned forward slightly, resting her elbows on top of her knees. “You say that you know me in this ‘world’ of yours. Does she act exactly like I do? In every way?”

   “Well, she’s a lot more handsy than you.” Alice grinned, “But yeah, for the most part you are the same person.”

   “But there is still a difference.” Robin pressed. “Even just a slight one?”

   “I suppose.” Alice said, frowning. She didn’t like where this was going.

   “Well then, doesn’t that prove that people can act differently to how you ‘remember’ them?” Robin noted. “Doesn’t that mean that there’s even just a chance that the Captain could chose not to come with us?”

   Alice scowled at her but didn’t answer. It was true. There was a chance that she could have been wrong and Gothel could have changed more than just their memories. But it wasn’t something that Alice was ready to accept just yet. Not when she still had the belief that her father would help them in the end.

   “I just…” Robin hesitated, then reached out a hand and placed it over Alice’s leg. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.” She stopped and then quickly added. “It will distract from our mission. And we can’t have any distractions. So, you need to be prepared for the worst, if it should happen.”

   “I appreciate the concern.” Alice said with a soft smile, placing her hand over Robin’s. “But everything is going to work out. Trust me. In the real world, there’s a saying we have: Villains don’t get happy endings. And Gothel is the worst villain of the lot.”

   With that, Alice patted her hand lightly and jumped to her feet, taking a wander up on deck to oversee some more of the deep blue ocean in the early morning sun. This time, however, she would be doing it from her father’s famous ship, like she always should have.

   At least that was one good thing about all this mess. She finally had a chance to sail the sea with her father.

**O*U*A*T**

   When land came into sight, the crew immediately set out preparing to pull up beside the shore at the closest set of docks available. Everyone became busy all at once, running back and forth, shouting orders to one another with Killian standing at the head of it all, overseeing everything and looking incredible calm and in control for someone who was just moments away from making a life altering decision.

   Alice slowly wandered through the crowds of people, most of who were now ignoring her or otherwise too busy to be frightened, and made her way up the stairs to where her father was waiting. She hesitated at his side, glancing around at everyone before speaking up; “Papa?”

   “We’re almost there, Alice.” Killian said without looking at her.

   “No, I mean, I know. I can see.” Alice nodded. “I was just wondering if there wasn’t anything I could do to help?”

   Killian glanced at her, and his face broke open into a wide smile. “Aye, I’m sure we could find something for you! In fact, how would you like your first lesson in being a pirate?”

   Alice beamed at him. “Yes! I’d love that! Where do we start?!”

   “Right here, at the helm.” Killian said, leading her to the large wooden wheel, waving away the man he had assigned earlier and nodding for Alice to take his place.

   While Killian kept a safe amount of space between them, he still stood closer than he would have back in the real world as he instructed her how to steer the ship carefully towards land. It seemed Alice was a natural at it. She picked up on all the instructions he gave her almost as soon as he said them and Killian felt a swell of pride tightening in his chest as he watched her guiding their way. The only time they had any problem was when Alice got a little over excited and spun the wheel a little too hard, leaving Killian to reach over and grab it in time to keep them from tilting right over and sinking the entire ship. Everyone jerked slightly on their feet whenever this happened but Killian’s loud laughter kept them from saying anything, even when one of the men barely managed to grab onto the side in time to avoid being thrown overboard.

   As their little lesson turned to words and phrases that all pirates should know when setting sale, Alice jumped in each time with the correct answer before Killian even had a chance. At first he assumed she had picked up on a lot during the night she had spent wandering around the ship with her friend, Robin, but he quickly realised there was something more to it than just a casual eavesdropping.

   “Where did you learn all of this?” Killain asked, grabbing the wheel as Alice accidentally leaned on it and began turning the ship away from their destination.

   “From you.” Alice shrugged, righting the wheel and smiling ahead at the buildings and trees in the distance. “In the tower, we didn’t have much to do so you taught me everything you knew about the world. Particularly the stuff about the sea and being a pirate. At least, you taught me everything except the practical stuff.” She grinned and winked at him. “But you always promised we’d have a go once I was free and now here we are.”

   Killian didn’t respond. Instead he watched her with a slight frown appearing on his forehead. Naturally that wasn’t true. They’d only just met, but that opened the question of who really did teach her all this… Gothel had sailors, not pirate’s, taking her across the seas and Killian doubt any of them knew half of what it took to be a true man of the sea. It couldn’t have been one of his own men – they were all scared shitless of even looking at her (either because she was Gothel’s daughter or because she was the Captain’s) let alone talk to her – but then who?

   At that moment, Robin stepped up onto the deck. The girl had spent most of her time hidden away in the private chambers, lost in thoughts and planning. Alice liked to think she was distracted by their earlier kiss, but if she was being practical then she knew it was probably about her mother.

   Zelena… Alice felt so guilty. She’d barely given her true loves mother much thought since she was taken by Gothel. She was so concerned with finding her own friends and family that she didn’t give _anyone_ else much thought. She allowed herself a moment to wonder what had happened to Henry Mills, and his wife and their young daughter. Were they okay? What about Drizella? She was a victim of Gothel as much as anyone in the end. Though she was on the end of Alice’s list of people to be worried for. After all, she had caused Alice to hurt her father just to get to Henry and Jacinda back before the curse in Wonderland. But still, bitter resentment aside, what was her new role in Gothel’s world?

   Everyone was in trouble, but back to Zelena. Gothel said she wasn’t going to use her to restore her own magic but Alice was still sure that she had use enough not to finish her off. Alice knew Gothel would want to continue to use Zelena against them but she didn’t necessarily have to be alive to do that. They already knew she had her and Gothel had threatened her once already, the next step was probably going to be waving her possible death in front of their faces, no doubt in hopes of dividing her and Robin’s newfound trust but then if that didn’t work, there wasn’t much left to do but...

   “Alice,” Killian said, grabbing the wheel. “Pay attention.”

   “Sorry, papa.” Alice said, quickly righting her hands. “I’m just worried. If we don’t hurry then Gothel is going to get her power back and she’ll be able to come after us herself.”

   “You really think you can beat her before that happens?” Killian asked quietly.

   “Yes.” Alice said without hesitation. “Once we get Weaver, we’ll be able to stop her once and for all.” She grinned.

   Killian frowned at her. “Who’s Weaver?”

   “Oh, I guess you don’t know his cursed name is this world,” Alice laughed. “His real name is-”

   “Captain!” Mr Smee called, cutting her answer short.

   “Right,” Killian stepped slightly closer, grabbing the wheel a little away from her hand. “This is where it gets tricky.”

   A few minutes later, Alice had almost crashed into the decking only twice before her father had quickly managed to save them. The whole time they laughed at the close calls, and finished off her first lesson as a pirate with gleeful smiles on their faces. Alice couldn’t help but wonder what life would have been like for them if she hadn’t been stuck in the tower for all those years. Would she have been a pirate in training her whole life? Would she already know everything there was to know, would she even be her father’s second in command? But then, if that happened, would Alice have met Robin and fallen in love or would she have missed out on the chance or met someone else along the road? No, Alice couldn’t imagine loving anyone the way she loved Robin.

   Speak of the Devil, Robin jogged lightly across the deck and took the short steps towards the helm two at a time. The lost look of thought was gone from her expression, and instead replaced with cold determination that came from the knowledge that they didn’t have long left to save her mother. She pushed passed the crew in her way and came to a sharp stop in front of where Alice and Killian were still laughing together, only briefly aware of her appearance.

   “It’s time.” Robin said, looking at Killian. “Are you going to help us or what?”

   Killian paused and sighed, looking at Alice. “Are you sure you can’t stay here with me? We could live our lives out here on the ocean, together.”

   “It’s not real, papa.” Alice said sadly. “We need to stop Gothel so we can be together properly, without fear.”

   “So, are you coming?” Robin demanded, stepping forward.

   Killian looked between the girls, then around at the rest of the ship. Finally he sighed and shook his head. “I can’t. I’m sorry. I can protect you on the water but I can’t protect you out there against Gothel. She’s too powerful.”

   “What…” Alice blinked. “You don’t mean that.”

   “I’m sorry, Alice. Gothel is too powerful for us to defeat.” Killian said. “And I hope you’ll understand that and stay here with me.”

   “Oh yeah, just, you know, screw my mum!” Robin snapped, reaching down and grabbing Alice’s hand. “Come on, Alice.”

   “Wait,” Alice said, gripping Robin’s hand and pulling her back when she tried to walk away, turning and looking at her father once more. “Papa, we can defeat her! I know we can! You just have to trust me!”

   “Alice, I love you but-” Killian began, reaching for her only for Robin to pull her sharply out of his reach and remind him that they shouldn’t touch too often.

   “Papa, please! I need you!” Alice begged.

   “Alice, this is Gothel’s world, and in Gothel’s world… We don’t stand a chance.” Killian sighed, shaking his head. “Please. I’m begging you. Stay with me here on the Jolly Roger.”

   Tearfully, Alice glanced back at Robin, still clinging to her hand before she looked back up towards her father one last time. “I’m sorry, papa. But I need to fix this. I need to put everything back to the way it should be and I need to help Robin save her mother. And I need you with me… But… If I have to choose then… I’m sorry.” She sniffed and took a small step back towards Robin. “Once I’ve fixed everything, I promise, we’ll be together again.”

   With that, Alice turned away and let Robin pull her down the steps away from the helm and her father. Tears began to fall and made their way in weak trails down her cheeks. It wasn’t long before they were bad enough that she had to rely on Robin to guide her way. Even knowing they would undo this spell, it still hurt to be separated from her father again. Every time they found each other, it seemed they were broken apart again and there was nothing they could do about it. Alice just hoped that this would be the last time.

   “You okay?” Robin asked as they stepped onto the long plank of wood, leading them off the ship onto the docks.

   “No.” Alice sobbed, unable to hold it back. She’d never been the one to walk away from her father before…

   Robin went quiet, and then tightened the grip on her hand. “I am sorry.”

   “I know.” Alice sniffed, reaching up with her free hand to brush away the tears. “We’ll be together again. It’s just… I miss him.”

   “I know the feeling.” Robin said, leading her down the plank. “But like you said. You’ll be together again. Once we’ve defeated Gothel, you can return to him.”

   Before Alice could agree with her, something came shooting passed them, barely missing Robin’s faces by inches. They both jerked back, away from it and each other as the object embedded itself firmly into the side of the ship before coming to a stop and they realised it was an arrow. No sooner had they noted this, did a second arrow fly by, once again far too close for comfort. Once again the girl’s natural reactions kicked in and they took another step back to avoid it.

   Alice had just enough time to look back up and see a set of her mother’s guards waiting for them on the port when she lost her footing. She had stepped back too far, half her foot going over the side of their make shift bridge and throwing her off balance. The next thing she knew, she was falling back towards the sea water bellow.

**To Be Continued...**

_Chapter Eleven: Ambush - Sneak Peek:_  
_The three of them slowly turned around to find four guards who had somehow saved themselves from the earlier chaos. They stood, side by side with weapons drawn, two of whom had a bow and arrow set and the other two holding a pair of short swords in either hand. They took a slow step forward, aiming their weapons at the girls and Killian and ignoring the disaster behind them like nothing had even happened._  
_“Lower your weapons.” A fifth voice called. It was female and strangely familiar._  
_The guards parted, stepping to the side and allowing the fifth member to move forward. She was a young woman with short brown hair and a round face, dressed in a unique armour that was made of the same material as the other guards but with noticeable differences. It included a short skirt over a pair of tight black trousers and a leather vest with a dark grey coat pulled over the top and a pair of thick matching boots on either foot. She carried no visible weapon in hand but seemed to be the one in command. Her face was also bruised, frighteningly so, but she was still recognisable despite the swollen purple splashes that blemished her once smooth skin._  
_But even with the bruises, Alice knew exactly who it was. And not just because of the curse she cast or the fact that her lies had nearly caused Alice to accidentally kill her father._  
_“Drizella…” Alice said quietly, frowning at her._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well at least Robin's starting to see that Alice is genuine, even if she thinks she's just crazy and imagining this other land.  
> Oh and how could I not include my second favourite newbie on the show? But sadly, Drizella's story in Gothel's world is no happier than her real one.
> 
> Please comment, tell me what you think of the chapter, tell me what you think is going to happen in the next chapter, tell me what you wish would happen, tell me how you think the curse will break, just tell me something!  
> Thank you! ;) <3


	11. Ambush

   “Alice!” Robin shouted, reaching a hand out for her just a third arrow soared between them. It cut through the top of Robin’s sleeve and lightly scratched her arm, causing her to instinctively snatch it back to her body with a hiss of surprised pain.

   Luckily for Alice, she managed to grab onto the side of the plank at the last possible second before she dropped out of reach. It bounced under the sudden rocking weight and her fingers just barely managed to get a decent hold as her palms were scratched and splintered by the rough edging. Her body and legs were left to dangle bellow in between the space of the port and the ship but by some miracle she managed to keep her hold and avoid the sharp drop any further towards the ocean.

   “Don’t move. You are both ordered to submit to the will of our Empress Gothel.” One of the guards shouted, waving a hand for the men around him to aim another series of arrows at the two of them.

   “You wanna have a stand off with arrows, do you?” Robin growled taking a step towards them before she paused and glanced back down at Alice, trying to figure out if she had time to pull her up before they fired another round into her exposed back.

   “What are you waiting for?” Alice demanded light heartedly, peeking up at her like she did this sort of hanging around all the time. “Go get ‘em!”

   Needing no more encouragement than that, Robin dropped her bow from her shoulder into her hand and reached back for an arrow. The men barely had time to react to her movements before she had already taken out one of them and a second ones horse, causing him to fall into his partner and nearly making a domino effect out of the lot of them. When they finally got control of themselves and started to fire back at her, Robin leapt the rest of the way from the plank onto the docks where she ducked behind a set of barrels waiting to be loaded onto a nearby ship.

   Unfortunately, her jumping away had saved her but caused the plank to rock under Alice’s already unsteady grip. Alice tried to hold on as best as she could but in the end her fingers slipped off just before she could attempt pull herself up and with that, she dropped down towards the cold sea water bellow. She had just enough time to hear someone who sounded vaguely like her father calling her name before the splash of the water filled her ears and her head was submerged under the water, muffling everything except for the sudden pounding in her own skull.

   The water was freezing cold. For the first few seconds, it almost felt like it was burning her and the surprise as much as the pain made her involuntarily gasp a mouthful of salty sea water. It was like being stabbed at, from every direction and the salt scorched her eyes worse than everything else, but she refused to shut them, even as she dropped further into the darkness bellow and could no longer see what was in front of her anyway. The disgusting taste that clung to her gums and tongue immediately made her want to throw up, just as much as the water that was still making its way down her throat, but instead all she managed was to gasp in a few more short mouthfuls when she, ironically, tried to wretch it all back up.

   She began flapping her arms and legs around her to try and push back upwards but all it did was make her body spin in uncontollable ways as she continued to sink. She just didn’t know how to move properly. She tried kicking her legs like she had seen others do in the worlds she happened to pass through on her adventures but somehow the motion was making things worse. She couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t see, she couldn’t do anything but flail as she dropped further into the cold water until she could no longer even see the sunlight that had previously been gleaming overhead. Her body was growing numb from the cold while her chest and throat continued to ache with the effort she was still putting in to breath without oxygen, all while she was twisting and tumbling constantly in confusing circles. It wasn’t long before she lost sight of what way was up and her vision began to darken at the same time as her head grew suddenly light. The dizzy feeling was the only sign she had that she was blacking out and not just losing her way even further to the bottom of the sea.

   Then an arm appeared and wrapped around her chest. Her vision caught sight of a flash of green light near her face and a heart shaped necklace draining it as her body was dragged back towards the surface. Her head broke through into the warm air above and the first thing she did was vomit up half the water she had almost swallowed down, gagging on the foul taste of salt and crying harsh tears as her body shivered involuntarily in the arms of her saviour. At this point, Alice was only half conscious and her head was too heavy to hold up on its own, so she lay it to the side against the person who had pulled her up for the much needed support.

   The person saving her then began to drag her through the water, making sure to keep her head above the surface so she could continue to wheeze weakly for air. She forced herself to twist around, just enough to use her trembling hands to cling to her saviors jacket, still choking up water and coughing until there was just enough room for a wisp of oxygen to force its way back in her lungs. The dizziness in her head eased off but didn’t disappear completely and the threat of unconsciousness began to fade she could feel that she wasn’t getting enough oxygen into her, even after choking up half the water to make room.

   All the while Alice choked for breath and vomited a mixture of sea water and stomach acid every few seconds, the person who saved her continued to swim for them both. He kept an arm tightly around her torso while she clung onto his shoulder, briefly aware of the green light still blazing close to her face, as he dragged her through the water and guided her almost limp body in a seemingly random direction. Though maybe not so random, but Alice’s head was still too heavy, pounding along with the rhythme of her heart, to take note of anything beside the pain and sickness in her stomach.

   At some point she must have blacked out completely because one minute she was still in the cold water, the next she was being dragged onto the deck where everyone seemed to be screaming all at once. Alice immediately rolled onto her side and coughed hard, still fading in and out from a half daze, like she wanted to sleep, but a stronger part of her was wise enough to still be trying to fight that powerful urge telling her to let go. In between her mental struggle, she briefly heard the sound of two people arguing close by.

   “Let me…”

   “… My daughter!”

   “… Has already absorbed enough magic…”

   “… Can handle it!”

   “… Just move…”

   Then a pair of warm lips were pressing down against her own and she felt a breath of hot air force its way into her lungs. There was a pause followed by someone pressing down on her chest hard and the last bits of water filling her lungs came up her throat in a painful rush. Consciousness kicked in harder than expected and Alice rolled to her stomach just in time to vomit the last of it all onto the floorboards by her head. She gasped wheezy breathes that were both painful and relieving at the same time. She began blinking away the water still clinging to her lashes, unsure now which parts were her tears and which parts were left over from the sea.

   After it no longer hurt to breathe quite as much as before, Alice rolled onto her back again, away from her vomit water and found Robin and Killian hovering closely over her head. It looked like the three of them were hidden behind the barrels Robin had initially used for cover, most of which looked like they had been torn to pieces, leaving black ash spreading out in every direction among the broken splinters.

   “We need to move.” Robin said finally, sounding a little breathless herself at this point. Except that her own tiredness didn’t stop her from sitting up and firing an arrow over the remaining shelter they had, directly towards their assailants before ducking back down again. Her body moving as quickly as the arrows she was firing.

   “Alice, can you stand? Can you run?” Killian urged, reaching for her but resisting his desire to touch even though she could see it pained him to do so.

   “I think so.” Alice said, it still hurt to breathe but she was getting there. Her biggest concern at this point was how cold she was, so much so that she couldn’t stop shivering and it made her throbbing head pound even worse.

   “Then let’s go!” Robin said sharply, standing and firing arrows one after another as she side stepped away from the barrels.

   Despite her limbs giving a convincing protest against the movement, Alice forced herself to stand up and start moving. It wasn’t easy. Her legs were weak and there was still a little left over urge to continue to be violently sick at her feet, but if nothing else, movement helped to calm some of the dizziness still clinging to her mind.

   As she started to follow Robin – with Killian close on her heels – she risked a quick glance over towards Gothel’s guards. They were some distance away still, but even with the space between them, Alice could see most of them were either unconscious or dead and a lot of the horses seemed to have run off by themselves. The remaining guards were taking shelter behind nearby buildings and tall gate posts to protect themselves from Robin’s counterattacks, while almost all of the bystanders were completely gone, having run away during the initial attack and any of those remaining were now watching everything from a good (and safe) distance away. Even the crew from Killian’s ship had ducked out of sight, taking cover on the ship or having already run while Alice had been falling into the water before her fathers rescue.

   “Where are we even going?” Killian demanded, dropping behind a set of large crates stacked on top of one another slightly further from his ship, which had taken a fair amount of damage already.

   “Oh, what? Now you’re joining us?” Robin demanded, jumping to fire an arrow over the crates before dropping back down again. “What happened to Gothel being too powerful to defeat?”

   “Can we discuss the details when we’re not being shot at?! All that matters is I’m here now,” Killian snapped. “So where are we going? They have us completely surrounded and we can’t get passed while they’re firing on us!”

   “What about the ship?” Alice asked, her head still felt clouded and that mixed with the guards still firing on them meant she couldn’t enjoy her father’s sudden change of heart. That would have to wait until they managed an escape.

   She always knew he would do the right thing in the end.

   “No good,” Killian said, shaking his head sorrowfully. “They’ll kill us before we even get the sails up, and half the crews already made a break for it after seeing it’s Gothel’s guards we’re up against.”

   “So much for loyalty.” Robin grumbled.

   “We’re going up against Gothel!” Killian snapped sharply. “Anyone in their right mind would run for it if they had the chance!”

   “Can we not do this now?” Alice groaned, her head was throbbing while her body shivered. She was desperate to find somewhere she might be able to curl up and sleep her aches and pains away but first they needed to get away from Gothel’s men and find somewhere safe, which they couldn’t do if Robin and Killian kept arguing with one another the whole time.

   “Okay then, we’ll have to go through them,” Robin said firmly.

   “Didn’t you hear me?! We can’t get passed them. There’s too many and they all have weapons trained on us!” Killian shouted. “We’d be torn to shreds before we even got close to passing them.”

   “They won’t be firing for long.” Robin said, glancing back at him. “You’re a big guy. Think you can kick some of those leaking barrels at them?”

   “Possibly, but then what?” Killian said with a small frown. “Gun powder is messy, but otherwise pretty useless on its own.”

   “I’m aware,” Robin said, grabbing one of her arrows and snapping off the metal head. She reached back into her pocket and pulled out a small match, lighting it from the friction of the crate by her side and putting the flame against the end of her broken stump until it caught on. “Kick it to them. Close enough to get them and not us. I’ll handle the rest.”

   With a short nod and a slight pause to glance worriedly at Alice – she was almost back to normal now, at least on the outside – Killian jumped up and ran back to the barrels, avoiding a series of arrows that immediately followed him on his way. He moved fast and didn’t give any time to pause or slow once he had reached his target. Instead he gave one of the less damaged barrels a hard kick as he passed, slamming his shoulder into one of the others to follow along before continuing to run and take cover a fair decent distance away by one of the shop buildings.

   Alice twisted around and watched as Robin stood one last time and fired her flaming arrow with her usual perfect precision. She made sure to keep her shot low so that it didn’t fly too far, but rather dropped and the flame caught light on the powder residue trailing after the barrel that was still rolling towards the guards, who didn’t quite seem to understand what was happening. Alice didn’t see any more than that. As soon as the powder caught the fire from her arrow, Robin turned and grabbed a hold of Alice, physically shielding her with her own body and ducking them both down behind the crates as the fire caught up to the barrels and set them off.

   What followed was a deafeningly loud explosion.

   It echoed loudly in the air long after it had finished going off and Alice buried her face against Robin’s side, still trying to catch her breath at the same time as her eardrums felt like they going to pop. It would have been louder and stronger if it had been a full barrel, but whatever was left was still enough to send a blast of hot air that pushed against the crates and nearly sent the lot of them – girls included – flying back to the water. They were knocked off balance and rolled back slightly but Robin reacted quickly. She grabbed onto one of the pillars with one arm and kept the other tightly around Alice’s waist, who, in turn, clung to her as best as she could.

   The explosion only lasted for a few seconds at most, but when it died down they all needed some extra few moments to gather their wits about them. Once the ringing had dulled slightly from their ears, Robin pulled Alice back safely onto the side, and crawled away from the edge. Alice reached up, feeling her ears and expecting to find blood but there was nothing other than the continued damp droplets of the sea water from earlier and a new wave of dizziness not quite unlike the one she was just getting over. It wasn’t a pleasant sensation, but after she ducked her head and shut her eyes, the worst of it seemed to pass on and she was able to stumble slowly back onto her feet and take in their surroundings.

   Half the crates were somehow still in various places in front of them, but they were blackened with scorch marks over the sides closest to the explosion, and more than a few were cracking in the corners, just seconds away from being shattered by the slightest nudge. The ones that hadn’t faired so neatly were still on fire in pieces around them, though most of those had also fallen into the sea water and were now smoking bits of burned debris floating just above the surface.

   The floorboards were also singed, most of them still in one piece but they didn’t look like they would take much pressure before snapping and giving out. Of course, all of that was nothing compared to the mess where the explosion had hit the guards dead on. Any of the remaining guards were long gone, the buildings closest had large holes missing out of their sides and any fences surrounding the area were shattered into flaming pieces so small and so scattered that they almost blended in with the dirt on the ground if not for the fire burning brightly from each of them.

   Shaking slightly, Alice glanced down at herself but she and Robin were remarkably unscathed from the attack. There wasn’t even a scratch, but then, she supposed they had been blown back and spent most of the explosion hanging over the edge of the pier. They had a pretty good amount of cover unlike some of the other people still on the docks…

   Alice barely had time to feel the panic rising inside her when her father appeared by her side, safe and sound. Or safe at least. Unlike Alice and Robin, it seemed a few pieces of something had caught his shoulder, leaving behind a nasty wound but he had already taken the initiative and torn some material from his own shirt to act as a temporary bandage for it.

   “Are you two okay?” He asked, his voice sounding far off and muffled despite being right by her side.

   “We’re fine,” Robin said. “We need to go.” She took a step forward and stumbled slightly, reaching and rubbing the side of her head over her ears and wincing.

   “Neither of you can walk the way you are.” Killian said strictly and Alice wondered how he managed to avoid the worst of it himself.

   “Well we can’t hang around.” Robin snapped back, stumbling towards the burned out mess of their attackers. “More will be coming at any time.”

   Killian looked like he wanted to argue with her, but instead held his tongue. After a second, when she was sure she wasn’t going to collapse, Alice began following Robin as quickly as she could on her unsteady footing. She did her best not to look too closely at where the explosion had gone off. The sea water was still leaving her queasy and she had a feeling that seeing a detached limb might push her over the edge.

   They had to be careful as they closed in on the very centre of the carnage where some of the gun powder had burned up the floorboards, leaving wide open holes and unstable footing beneath them, but luckily most of it had been on the land and the worst of the damage came from the buildings on either side. Once again Alice did her best to keep her head down, not wanting to assess the destruction just in case there happened to be some innocent bystanders who hadn’t thought to get away when they had the chance.

   “Halt!”

   “Are you kidding me,” Alice moaned, mostly to herself.

   The three of them slowly turned around to find four guards who had somehow saved themselves from the earlier chaos. They stood, side by side with weapons drawn, two of whom had a bow and arrow set and the other two holding a pair of short swords in either hand. They took a slow step forward, aiming their weapons at the girls and Killian and ignoring the disaster behind them like nothing had even happened.

   “Lower your weapons.” A fifth voice called. It was female and strangely familiar.

   The guards parted, stepping to the side and allowing the fifth member to move forward. She was a young woman with short brown hair and a round face, dressed in a unique armour that was made of the same material as the other guards but with noticeable differences that made it stand out. Including a short skirt over a pair of tight black trousers and a leather vest with a dark grey coat pulled over the top and a pair of thick matching boots on either foot. She carried no visible weapon in her hands but seemed to be the one in command anyway. Her face was also bruised, frighteningly so, but she was still recognisable despite the swollen purple splashes that blemished her once smooth skin.

   But even with the bruises and strange new armour, Alice knew exactly who the girl was. And not just because of the curse she cast or the fact that her lies had nearly caused Alice to accidentally kill her father either.

   “Drizella…” Alice said quietly, frowning at her as if trying to see the beautiful young woman she used to be under the damage.

   “Hello, Alice,” Drizella said calmly, smiling though it was hard to tell at first, what with her right cheek being twice the size as her left.

   “Oh look, if it isn’t Gothel’s number one wannabe.” Robin sneered, breaking the tense silence. “Still begging for scraps while your sister gets all the good grace?”

   What parts of Drizella’s face that wasn’t already various shades of purple, turned pink and she took a sharp step forward. “Watch it, you little urchin. One word from me and you’re dead before you realise what that smart mouth cost you.”

   “You know,” Robin said, still smirking and unfazed by Drizella’s threats. “I’m surprised you’re the one who’s come here and not big sis. Doesn’t Gothel normally leave Anastasia all the big important jobs while you spend your time cleaning the royal piss chambers?”

   Drizella took another sharp step forward then winced and shook her head. “I don’t have time for you.” She looked back at Alice. “Time to come home, Alice. Empress Gothel is waiting.”

   Everyone paused and she realised they were waiting for an answer. “Um… No?” Alice shrugged.

   “Excuse me?” Drizella blinked.

   “You heard the girl,” Killian growled, taking a step forward and shifting slightly so he half stood in front of her protectively. “She said no.” He drew his sword and pointed it at her.

   Drizella turned to him, looking unimpressed. “And you are…?”

   Killian puffed his chest slightly and stood a little taller. “I’m her father,” He said proudly.

   There was a short pause before Drizella snorted loudly, the guards echoing their amusement around her. “Right.” She nodded. “And I’m her long lost sister.”

   “Enough,” Robin growled. “We’re leaving. And you can’t stop us.”

   “Oh really?” Drizella laughed. “I think you have it the wrong way round. You’re outnumbered. You’re outgunned. And you’re in a Gothel’s world. If I were you, I’d give up. Maybe if you surrender, I can let you and ‘daddy’-” She said using quoting fingers mockingly. “-leave and Alice can come home.”

   “Drizella…” Alice said, stepping passed Killian and doing her best to sound calm and confident. “None of this is real. I know you don’t believe me, no one does, but this is all fake. And you’re life may not have been great back before but well, at least it wasn’t… Like this.” She wave at her bruised face. “If you let us go… We can fix everything and you can get your old life back.”

   For a long moment, Drizella stared at Alice with a thoughtful expression on her face. She seemed to really be looking at her and Alice took in and held her breath in anticipation. Maybe Drizella of all people would be the one to believe her. Maybe she even remembered her. Maybe there was something Drizella had done to protect herself from Gothel’s spell just before it happened without anyone knowing.

   “What are you waiting for?” Drizella said, her thoughtful expression not changing but her voice was cold and uninterested. “Kill the pirate and the tramp and bring Alice back to our Empress already.”

   “NO!” Alice shouted, throwing herself in front of her father as Robin lifted her arrow and took defensive aim.

   “OIH!!”

   The cry came right after Alice’s but echoed twice as loudly. Drizella and the guards turned automatically at the noise and were surprised to see four of Killian’s remaining crew were standing with their weapons in hand behind Drizella and the other guards. One of the men even had a gun much like Killian’s in hand that was aimed directly at Drizella with Mr Smee at his side, shaking but somehow determined to stand his ground with a long blade in his quivering hand. The four pirates glared at the guards and began to close the space quickly, giving no one the time to react.

   “Go, Captain!” Mr Smee shouted over the sound of the initial struggle.

   “Good on you, lads!” Killian called back, replacing his sword at his side before he, Robin and Alice turned and made a final break for it.

   The three of them pushed on down the middle of the few left over houses, following Robin’s lead as she dashed ahead of them and began to guide the other two up towards an open stretch of dry field away from the water. The area around them was completely deserted at this point, everyone having hidden or run away, and now that the ringing had finally dulled down to a minor background noise in Alice’s head, she could somewhat hear the fight raging behind her, including a single gunshot followed by a loud cry of pain, not necessarily from the intended victim.

   It didn’t last very long. The pirates did their best for their Captain but they weren’t suicidal or stupid. They only held on for as long as they could, distracting the guards and keeping Drizella busy long enough to give Killian and the girls a head start before they fell back and got away again. Alice didn’t know where they went, but they probably wouldn’t have to run far before they were safe. Drizella and the guards wouldn’t waste much time with them, not while Alice remained out of Gothel’s clutches.

   “They’re coming!” Alice shouted, even though she doubt either of them needed the warning. As soon as it grew quiet behind them, it was obvious what was going to happen next.

   “We can’t outrun them like this.” Killian said, he already sounded out of breath, one hand repeatedly reaching up to brush along the wound in his stomach but there was more to it. He was wincing at something and Alice realised he probably had more injuries than he was letting off, even if they were only dull bruise-like ones.

   “Can we fight them?” Alice panted, her head was pounding again just when she thought it had finally passed.

   “Not five on three. And I’m almost out of arrows.” Robin said, cursing loudly before she glanced back to the two of them. “Alright. Time to split up!”

   “Are you crazy?! They’ll all go after Alice!” Killian argued. “That’s the worst idea!”

   “No, they won’t. Drizella never wastes a chance to try and show off for Gothel. She’ll send the guards after all of us to take us all down in one go!” Robin came to a sharp standstill. Alice and Killian skidded to a stop a little in front of her and looked back.

   During their pause, Alice took the chance to get her breath back and to glance back to the docks. They had a pretty good head start and were a fair distance from the buildings lining the water, but the guards still weren’t all that far behind them. In fact she could almost see their shapes already moving between the buildings right near the edge of the field. They would catch them eventually, whether they kept running away or not.

   “We divide them and then regroup.” Robin explained. “We can move faster on our own and deal with them more easily if we don’t have to keep worrying about each other.”

   Killian shook his head but he wasn’t offering an argument against her plan either. The guards only had them outdone by one (two if you counted Drizella) but the three of them were tired and worn down. There was no saying they’d be able to face off even if they split up, but they were sure they wouldn’t stand a chance against them as they were currently. Which only left them with one other option.

   “There’s an abandoned farm my men and I usually go to when we pull up around here.” Killian said, pointing directly across from the field where the ground began to lift up into a small hill. “Meet there by sundown.”

   “Agreed.” Robin nodded.

   “Wait!” Alice gasped as they both began to turn away in opposite directions. When they looked at her, she suddenly found the words she wanted to say failed her and instead she felt her shoulders slump. “Just… Be careful.” Alice said finally, glancing between them. “Both of you.”

   “You too,” Robin nodded. She paused, looking at Alice like she wanted to say something else before giving up, turning and heading off. She started in the direction back towards town but at a slight angle, moving closer and away from the guards and the buildings at the same time.

   “Alice…” Killian began but he too fell short.

   “I know, papa,” Alice smiled tightly. “It’ll be alright.”

   Neither of them wanted to wait for the other to leave first, so they turned and ran at the same time. Killian moving in the opposite direction of Robin, and Alice heading on towards the farm Killian had told them about.

   She just hoped she’d see her papa and her love there soon.

**To Be Continued...**

_Chapter Twelve: Alice Vs Drizella - Sneak Peek:_   
_As soon as Drizella was off of her, Alice rolled away, reaching for her dagger and jumping to her feet. She really didn’t want to do this, but it was clear this Drizella had gone mad, and would do anything to kill Alice as a final act of revenge against her and against Gothel._   
_With her own dagger in hand, Drizella – once she’d caught her breath back and finished rubbing her throat – hesitated._   
_“We can stop this now, Drizella.” Alice said slowly, it hurt to talk after the blows that Drizella had given her but she worked through them. “Walk away, and I promise I’ll fix everything. I'll make things right!”_   
_“No. There’s no walking away for me now.” Drizella said shakily, sniffing and blinking away tears. “I die today. And I swear, I’m taking you with me.”_   
_“Drizella, I don’t like you but I don’t want to hurt you!” Alice begged. “Please, just leave.”_   
_“You’ve already hurt me.” Drizella whispered, a sob building in her throat before she let out a scream of fury and ran at her again._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It wouldn't be a good story if they didn't split up at least once!  
> Okay, but I seriously had no good reason for them to, but I kind of wanted to divide them a bit, lol, so I just went with the "we need to split them up in order to take them out".
> 
> Please comment, tell me what you think of the chapter, tell me what you think is going to happen in the next chapter, tell me what you wish would happen, tell me how not ready you are for the finale, just tell me something!  
> Thank you! ;) <3


	12. Alice Vs Drizella

   Robin was right.

   After an unknown amount of time had passed, Alice was forced to pause her run when one of her legs nearly stumbled out beneath her, her foot slipping slightly on a hidden dip in the ground. She was tired and her limbs were screaming loudly in protest against any further movement, just as much as when she run from Gothel’s castle, with her lungs and chest aching like she was back under the sea water. The only good thing was the cool light wind that had cleared the last of the dizziness from her head, even if the pain along her ears and temples had remained.

   Alice took as moment to rub her chest, leaning over and wincing at the dull pain throbbing along her calves and up her sides. She took the chance to glance back behind her, and it didn’t take Alice long before she saw that Drizella and a single guard were still on her tail, not even a fair distance away. The sight shocked her but she forced herself not to move just yet and instead stood up straight, trying to look over their shapes towards where the other three had vanished. The others were now tiny specks in the distance and so it was impossible for her to tell which of her loved ones had two of the guards following them rather than just the one, so she sent a silent prayer for them both. She wanted to linger, to watch the dots in the distance and see how quickly they caught up with one another but Drizella was closing in at a speed that was surprising considering how injured she seemed to be.

   So, taking one last deep breath and apologising to her limbs for what she was about to do, Alice turned and continued her get away up to the farm.

   While pushing up the hill, which seemed a lot steeper than it had been before she started up it, Alice did a quick mental inventory for what she on her in terms of defence. Between the craziness on Black Beard’s ship and the constant running for their lives every few seconds, Alice hadn’t been able to store up much in terms of weapons. But she still had the short poll stretched along her back. It wouldn’t be a bad weapon to use, considering she wouldn’t have to fear too much about accidentally killing anyone with it, but she wasn’t an expert with it either. It was more dumb luck than anything that allowed her to get the upper hand before, and these guards didn’t seem like they were going to underestimate her anymore. Lately it seemed like it was only thanks to Robin and her father that she managed to get this far, and now she was on her own.

   Maybe splitting up hadn’t been the best idea after all. Not that Alice had been happy with it to begin with.

   Alice didn’t want to take them all the way to the farm, not if that was where they were going to meet with the others, but she wasn’t sure where else to go. She didn’t recognise the area, she couldn’t see anything else beside an open field of dying grass in every direction, and she wasn’t comfortable facing off against them here, with no cover and nothing to put between them. She’d rather somewhere she might actually stand a chance of catching Drizella and her friend off guard by hiding around corners from them.

   With no other choices, Alice kept running until she rounded the top of the hill and finally caught sight of the farm Killian had been talking about. It wasn’t anything like Robin and her mother’s farm, which was full of life and a constant good memory to Alice each and every time she paid them a visit. This farm was dark, and not just because the day was getting on and there were clouds looming overhead. The main barn was painted a faded dull red with splashes of brown that were more than a little worrying, while the grass around the area was not just dead and dry, but to the point where she couldn’t even tell what even used to be grass any more. The fence around the area was half missing and the other half was either cracked or broken, and finally, the house which had once held a family, now had a series of holes along the walls and where its windows should be. Alice had no doubt that anything inside had long been looted but the barn itself seemed to be holding up surprisingly well, or at least enough to provide passers by with some form of shelter.

   Alice pushed herself, aiming for the barn with a new strength she got from the sight of it, even though she had no idea what she would do once she reached the open doors. But in the end, she never got that far. Despite her best efforts to stay ahead, the guard had gotten a bit of a boost of his own for whatever reason and closed the distance between them without her realising. He jumped and dived onto her, missing her torso but grabbing hold of her leg instead, tripping her up onto the hard cold ground. Old injuries that she had forgotten about came bursting back to life but Alice had little time to worry about any of them with the guard weighing heavily on top of her.

   She let out an angry shout and rolled over onto her back as best as she could, kicking her free foot out at the guard and catching him on the shoulder and torso, but his armour protected him and he crawled on top of her, grabbing her shoulders and pinning her in place. Alice scrambled for the pole pressing into her back, but was unable to lift her hand up or twist around enough to pull it free and then the guard was sitting on her knees and grabbing her wrists, holding them to her stomach and keeping her there as Drizella finally caught up.

   “Well, that was easy.” Drizella commented, walking to stand beside Alice’s head, smirking down at her and somehow, didn’t seem the slightest bit out of breath.

   “Don’t do this, Drizella!” Alice snapped, fighting to break free but the guard was completely focused on holding her down and it was like fighting iron chains in a cement wall. “I can help you! We can stop Gothel together! Once and for all!”

   “You’re as delusional as they say if you really think Gothel can be stopped.” Drizella said, calmly crossing her arms as she walked around to the other side of Alice’s head.

   “She can be. We can stop her!” Alice insisted. “Come on, Drizella. I don’t know what you’re life is really like here but according to Robin it sucks pretty bad!”

   “That little tramp doesn’t know what she’s talking about!” Drizella snapped angrily. “And neither do you!”

   “Drizella, we need to get her back-” The guard began.

   “Shut up!” Drizella snapped at him, turning quickly to glare back down at Alice. “You don’t know anything about me, _Mistress_. The precious little gem, spoilt rotten by the world and beloved by all.” She sat on the ground, too close to Alice’s head for comfort.

   “Beloved?! You think that I’m beloved?!” Alice snorted, rolling her eyes. “I’m feared in this world, Drizella. My own true love hated me when she first saw me.”

   “Oh shut up!” Drizella lifted her foot to stomp down on Alice’s face.

   “Enough!”

   The guard released Alice seconds before Drizella’s foot made contact, jumping up and grabbing a hold of the other girl instead, pushing her back out of the way. Alice instinctively rolled away from them both and climbed back onto her knees but was too shocked to make another attempt at escaping. The last person she had expected to help her was the very guard pinning her down. So instead of heading on towards the farm, she paused where she was and watched as the guard shoved Drizella away, hard enough to make her stumble. His armour hid his facial expression from her but his body language was clear enough. These men may take orders from her now, but this one clearly wasn’t very happy about it and it was most certainly just a temporary arrangement.

   “You ever touch the Mistress in that way again and I’ll-” The guard began, walking over to grab her again.

   “Get off me!” Drizella snapped. “I don’t care what Gothel does to me! I don’t care about any of this! I’m going to teach that little bitch a lesson she’ll never forget and you’re not going to stop me!”

   “You’ve lost it. Gone mad, even.” The guard said quietly.

   Drizella sneered at him. “I’m not mad. I’m furious.”

   Then her hand flashed behind her back and before Alice could cry out a warning, Drizella pulled out and slammed a long thin object up into the guard’s throat, slipping through the tiniest of opening between his helmet and his body armour that Alice hadn’t even noticed before. The object turned out to be a needle like blade that was as long as a normal dagger and twice as sharp, sliding in and out of the guard as easily as butter.

   Drizella smirked at him as she slowly pulled the needle free, drawing it out as he gargled and gagged in front of her. He was either frozen from shock or the needle was just as long as it looked and had severed some kind of nerve, preventing him from moving even his arms which were hung loosely by his side. When she had pulled the needle out of him completely, she watched him slowly drop to her feet with an insane look of joy in her eyes and a disturbing smile on her lips.

   Now Alice had a whole new reason to be frozen to the spot. She had never seen Drizella this ruthless and blood thirsty for revenge before. Even when she wanted to get back at her mother, she was never like this, and Alice didn’t know how to react to this version of Jacinda’s nasty step sister. At least not until Drizella had turned her mad smile on her and her mind screamed at her to get away. It seemed whatever memories Gothel had given her in this world; they were enough to drive her far over the edge. And as if things weren’t complicated enough; that just made Alice pity her. Even while she knew that now was the very last moment she should be holding back in a fight.

   Alice held up her hands in front of her and slowly climbed back onto her feet. “Drizella-” She began, still hoping she might be able to talk it through with her.

   She didn’t get any further before Drizella shot forward and closed the distance between them in a matter of seconds. She reached out a hand and Alice barely had time to get her arms up in order to protect her face from the harsh slap that slammed against her arm and knocked into her face. She even stuck her fingers around like a set of claws, digging her nails into the back of Alice’s wrist and scratching her deeply. Before Alice could do anything else, Drizella had grabbed a clump of her hair, pulling her head back sharply before winding back her free fist and swinging it through the air. And just like that she was punching Alice in the stomach with a powerful blow, knocking the wind from her but also keeping her from doubling over by the tight grip she held on her blonde locks, pulling them hard to keep her standing somewhat straight.

   “Stop!” Alice gasped, or rather tried to gasp but instead her voice came across as a senseless wheeze.

   “I hate you.” Drizella snarled, throwing Alice to the ground. “I hate your mother! I hate your life! I HATE YOU!”

   She lift her foot to start kicking and stomping on her just as Alice rolled out of the way. As much as she wanted to get through to Drizella in a way that would save them both, she knew she couldn’t just lie there and let this woman beat on her until she was satisfied. Not when she needed her strength if she was going to undo Gothel’s spell and save all of them, including Drizella.

   “Enough, Drizella!” Alice snapped, trying to sound as tough as this world’s Alice. “This isn’t helping either of us!”

   “Oh, it’s helping me plenty.” Drizella hissed, stumbling after her as she backed away.

   “I said, enough!” Alice said, taking a step forward and swinging a fist at her.

   Drizella was surprised, and didn’t even attempt to dodge the retaliating attack, leaving Alice’s fist to knock against Drizella’s jaw with a surprising strength hidden behind it. She stumbled back a step, nearly losing her footing before she caught herself in time and spun to glare at Alice, eyes even more mad than they were before.

   “You’re going to regret that.” Drizella whispered coldly.

   “Felt like I was regretting it before I did anything.” Alice commented, rubbing the back of her hand where there were marks left over from Drizella’s sharp and broken nails.

   Drizella just sneered at her, stalking forwards, fingers flexing like she was itching to wrap them around her throat. Alice tensed and reached back, but her fingers floated through air and patted against the flat of her back. Her pole, it was gone. Alice glanced around at her feet but she couldn’t see it anywhere amongst the dry grass at all, or at least nowhere close by. It had been on her back just a few seconds ago, she had felt it when the guard had her pinned, but she couldn’t have a proper look around. Not while Drizella was still advancing on her so quickly. But without her pole, she didn’t have a weapon to defend herself with either…

   Alice glanced towards the guard’s dead body. It wasn’t too far away from her now. And surely he would have a weapon on him, considering Drizella hadn’t bothered to take anything before she had launched into her attack on Alice. It wasn’t much and Alice still wasn’t willing to cause Drizella any serious harm if she could help it but... If Drizella gave her no other choice, then she might have to...

   “Why are you so desperate to hurt me?” Alice demanded, trying to keep her busy as she side stepped in a circle, moving towards the body. “What have I ever done to you?!”

   “Is that a joke?” Drizella whispered, momentarily pausing with a look of confused disgust on her face. “You… You, who have single handedly made my life a misery, want to know what you’ve done to me?!”

   “Drizella, I haven’t done anything to you!” Alice said, starting to lose what little patients she had left. She knew this Drizella couldn’t help her fake memories, but there was something really foul about her blaming Alice for her fake life, considering in their real one, Drizella really had tricked Alice into almost killing her father, just to get to Jacinda and Henry.

   “You took my mother from me!” Drizella screamed. “We were going to escape. After all these years of trying to get Anastasia back, not even caring if I was put in danger, mother finally agreed to leave this world with me so we could start again… And you ruined it!” Drizella lunged at her. Alice dived to the side towards the body as Drizella tried to claw nails down her face. “You found out and you sold us out! I just got her back then lost her again all because of you!”

   “I’m telling you,” Alice shouted, trying to keep a distance between them as she stepped back, closer towards the guard’s body. “I didn’t do any of that! None of this is real, Drizella! This is all fake! All your memories are fake! Gothel implanted them in you so she could take over everything!”

   “You really think you can worm your way out of this by playing crazy?” Drizella laughed, tears streaming down her swollen cheeks now. “You’re pathetic. The only reason people bow to you is because they’re terrified of your mother. Well not me. She can’t do any worse than she already has. I’ll at least have the last satisfaction that I took her daughter from her before she finishes me off.”

   Drizella lunged again and this time Alice tripped when she tried to run away. Their bodies hit each other hard and they tumbled to the ground, now just inches away from the corpse, but Drizella wasted no time and gave Alice no chance to search for a weapon on his body. They scrambled and struggled against one another, rocking slightly as they both tried to gain the upper hand but it soon ended with Drizella rolling around so she was sat atop of Alice’s hips and lifting her fist high in the air in order to bring it forcefully down on her. Alice reached up, covering her face with her arms only for Drizella to change direction and punch her in the chest instead, hard enough to knock make her choke from pain and leave her even more winded than before.

   “I don’t have anyone! I lost every single person I ever cared about because of you and your family!” Drizella shrieked, sobbing as she punched Alice again on her torso and arms. Despite her despair, her strength was not affected and every blow was as painful as the one before it.

   Alice tried to curl in on herself but Drizella shifted so she was sat on her stomach, keeping her firmly on her back. She was winced and whenever she moved her arms to protect herself, Drizella just lashed out as whatever else was left exposed.

   “I have no one!” Drizella cried, reaching down and grabbing Alice’s head, pulling it up and slamming it down on the ground, hard enough that the pain burst throughout her entire body and she suddenly found she couldn’t move at all, giving Drizella an opening to slap her across the face, and then punched her on the same spot a second after.

   At some point Drizella paused in her assault, briefly catching her breath before she continued her attacks but the small pause was enough for Alice to gather her bearings and push through the pain. She couldn’t reach the guard to search him for a weapon with Drizella sitting on her like that but nor was she as helpless as she seemed. When Drizella moved to punch her in the eye, Alice lashed out first, punching back and aiming for the soft area of Drizella’s exposed throat. They both made contact but while Alice felt a blast of manageable pain, Drizella choked and was temporarily thrown off, coughing and gasping in surprise more than anything.

   As soon as Drizella was thrown off her, Alice spun away, reaching for the guards limp body. She didn’t even have time to worry about how awful it was to rob a man’s body before he was even cold, and instead grappled at the sides of his armour, trying to find where a weapon might be hidden. Finally, sticking out of a sheath against his right hip – the handle a matching colour as the amour, causing it to blend impossibly well – was a shiny smooth blade. As soon as she had the blade in hand, Alice was jumping to her feet, spinning around and holding it up in defence against the other girl.

   She really didn’t want to do this. She didn’t want to hurt anyone in this world, knowing it would just serve to amuse Gothel, but it was clear this Drizella was not going to be talked down. She would do anything to kill Alice as a final act of revenge against her mother for all the fake misery she has suffered under her imaginary rule.

   With her dagger now in hand, Alice at least had some decent form of defence while she watched as Drizella – now recovered from the soreness of her bruised and aching throat muscles – hesitated in front of her. She still had her own needle like dagger in one of her fists, but compared to Alice’s weapon it was quite… Well, it was just a needle.

   “We can stop this now, Drizella.” Alice said slowly, it hurt to move after the blows that Drizella had given her but she worked through them, forcing her body to begin circling her again, making sure to keep a wide space between them. “Walk away, and I promise I’ll fix everything.”

   “No. There’s no walking away for me now.” Drizella said shakily, sniffing and blinking away tears. “I die today. And I swear I’m taking you with me.”

   “Drizella, I don’t like you but I don’t want to hurt you either!” Alice begged. “Please, just leave.”

   “You’ve already hurt me.” Drizella whispered, another sob building in her throat before she turned it into a scream of fury and ran at her again.

   This time Alice didn’t try to run or move away from her. She tensed her body with the dagger clenched in hand tight enough to pinch the skin of her palm and prepared for whatever attack Drizella was going to throw this time.

   In the end, Drizella threw her whole body, trying to tackle Alice back to the ground like before. But this time Alice was prepared and grabbed her outstretched arm before she could make contact, twisting her around and swiping at her with the dagger, narrowly missing cutting her arm when she ducked out of the way at the last minute, breaking Alice’s hold and side stepping away from her.

   Taking a shaky breath, Alice continued walking in a circle while Drizella watched her pointedly, snarling like a wild animal every few seconds. She couldn’t keep waiting like this. She needed to finish up so she could get to the farm and wait for Robin and Killian to join her. So, before Drizella had the chance to charge her another time, Alice beat her to it, running forward and ducking to the side at the last second, lifting her arm and elbowing her in the back when she stumbled, trying to make a grab for her. Drizella fell to her knees but Alice seemed to have underestimated her, because even hitting the ground didn’t stop or slow her down in the slightest.

   While on her knees, Drizella spun her upper body to the side and wrapped her arms around Alice’s knees and pulling. She was tripped up and fell to the ground, narrowly avoiding stabbing herself with her own dagger but then accidentally letting it fall from her fingers, bouncing to the ground, just barely out of her reach. Alice twisted around in her grip, trying to push her legs out of Drizella’s hold but the other girl was clinging on too tightly, worming her way up her body.

   Alice lay back on the ground, stretching her arm for the dagger as best as she could and trying to nudge her way closer but while her fingers brushed the handle, they couldn’t pull it close enough to get a hold of it. And then Drizella was close enough to sit up on her ankles, reaching down and wrapping her hands around Alice’s throat. She didn’t waste any more time gloating or insulting her, and instead squeezed hard as Alice’s air was cut off immediately. Desperately, she began reaching to try and pry her fingers off but she couldn’t find a grip on them and Drizella seemed immune to having her skin scratched at, barely reacting as if she didn’t feel any of the pain at all.

   Drizella was panting as she tightened her grip and Alice felt the hotness of her breath under the intense anger of her gaze. It was more frightening than almost anything else she had faced, if only because she knew that Drizella’s anger wasn’t her fault. She was being used and manipulated by Gothel. And what’s worse, she thought she was getting one over on the ‘Empress’ by killing her daughter, not knowing this was exactly what Gothel had probably been hoping for when she sent her out in search of her.

   She was literally doing Gothel a great service and after Alice was dead, Gothel would have the perfect reason to kill Drizella as well. She was killing them both without having to lift a single magic-weakened finger!

   “I’m sorry.” Alice mouthed, unable to speak while being choked so tightly, but even that seemed enough to confuse Drizella into loosening her grip, if only for a second.

   But, like before, it was all the time Alice needed. She pushed her body up just enough to slam her fist into Drizella’s side, stunning her and throwing her off at the same time. She rolled out from underneath her and crawled the rest of the way to her dagger, grabbing it even as she felt Drizella grabbing onto the back of her heel.

   Alice, still gasping painfully for breath and wincing at the soreness along her neck, grabbed the dagger and spun around, slashing it through the air and cutting Drizella on the soft area just above her elbow. She shouted in pain but didn’t let go of Alice’s foot and pulled hard, crawling and reaching for her face with her jagged nails like she was going to rip her eyes out. Alice tried to push her off but nothing was going to stop Drizella at this point.

   Except the dagger.

   Alice pushed herself up and rammed the dagger as hard as she could into Drizella’s leg. She had originally aimed for her side but changed direction last minute, accidentally making the wound longer than she had intended.

   Drizella screamed out, blindly grabbing Alice’s ear and hair and trying to punch her in the face but Alice twisted the dagger inside her thigh, causing her fist to slam into the ground instead as she let out another agonised cry. While temporarily distracted by her pain, Alice pushed a hand on her chest and the other against the dagger and threw her off, ripping the blade free at the same time. She might have left it inside her to keep her from bleeding out, if she wasn’t worried about Drizella taking it for herself using it against Alice in her blind suicide quest for wrongfully placed revenge.

   Instead Drizella finally seemed to lose the last of her fight. She rolled away from Alice, crying and clutching at her bleeding leg, cuddling it as close to her body as she could bend. Alice scrambled back onto her feet, taking a step back and keeping herself tense but it seemed Drizella really wasn’t going to be making any more life threatening moves towards her. Instead she lay on the ground, openly sobbing in a way that made Alice feel like she wasn’t crying over any physical pain.

   Alice was gasping for breath still, shaking slightly as she tucked the dagger into the side of her boot, ignoring the blood still clinging to the blade and now soaking through her socks. She took a slow step towards the other girl, still prepared for any trick she might be playing to lure her in. However, she either didn’t notice her approach, or simply no longer cared and instead Drizella screamed at the sky so brokenly that Alice felt a sudden urge to cry with her.

   Instead she walked over, lifting her foot off the ground and slamming it down hard onto the top of Drizella’s head.

**O*U*A*T**

   When Drizella next woke up, Alice had dragged her onto the farm land, taking shelter inside the barn. She had also taken the time to find some rope to tie her to one of the pillars near the back and out of the way of the cold air coming through the broken double doors. It wasn’t easy. Most of the rope was worn out and short, or weak and easily breakable, and if Drizella had her strength then she could probably even get out of the one Alice had settled with but it should at least stall her while she was still injured.

   While she was still unconscious, Alice took the time to raid the area for supplies. It was abandoned, but it was also used by the pirates as Killian had said and after some searching, Alice was able to find a box hidden under the floorboards that held a few bottles of rum, a change of clothes for men twice her size and some thick blankets and sheets. Alice wasn’t a drinker, but at this point, she’d take a swing of anything to calm her endless jitters.

   After her nerves had somewhat eased, she’d taken an old looking white shirt and tore it into rough uneven strips, using the fabric to wrap up the wound she’d given Drizella on her leg, covering her in a thick blanket, before collecting one more for herself. Finally she settled down by one of the pillars close by to wait patiently in silence, either for Drizella to wake, or for her father and love to join her. Whichever happened first.

   In the end, Drizella woke first.

   “What… What happened… Where am I?” Drizella moaned, twisting slightly as she sat up before she winced and gasped, no doubt at the sharp pain from her head as well as her leg.

   “We’re under cover,” Alice explained, taking another small sip of the rum she had in hand. She’d been foolishly gulping it a few moments earlier until just sitting became an unsteady challenge, so she had poured half the bottle over her head and limited herself to slow sips then onwards. “We’re safe. For now.”

   “Until your mother finds us?” Drizella snarled, tears building back in her eyes. Her face looked even more swollen than before and it hurt just looking at her, but Alice tired to stay focused, setting the rum on the floor by her side.

   “I hate that cow as much as you, Driz.” Alice grumbled with a slight slur, then winced and tried to concentrate. She hadn’t realised how strong rum really was. She knew her father used to have a taste for the stuff, but he hadn’t touched it since she was born and she’d never encountered anything like it during her constant travels or her years in the curse. If she’d known, she would have gone easy on it, or better yet, left the stuff alone. “I hate that bitch with every fibre of my been… I mean… Being.”

   Drizella frowned at her, her confusion outweighing her misery and pain. “Are you drunk?” She demanded.

   “By accident.” Alice said, blushing. “Anyway! Who cares! You tried to kill me! Because of fake memories! I mean, what’s wrong with you?!”

   “You’re crazy. And drunk.” Drizella sneered.

   “I’m drunk, but I’m not crazy. Gothel wants everyone to think I am. Just like back in Hyperion Heights. But I’m not crazy. Not here. Not anywhere. Everyone wants me to be but I’m not!” She snapped then stopped and pressed her hands to her face. Maybe pouring the alcohol over her head was a bad idea. The smell of it was practically choking her. What she really needed was some ice cold water to duck her face into. That worked to sober people up, right? She took a breath. “I’m not crazy, Ivy. I’m just trying to fix things.”

   “What did you just call me?” Drizella frowned.

   “Ivy. Your cursed name from Hyperion Heights.” Alice explained, still rubbing her face. “Ivy Belfrey. Daughter of Victoria Belfrey. Sister of Anastasia…” She paused and peeked through her fingers. “She doesn’t have a cursed persona. So no cursed name for little sis.”

   “She’s not even my _little_ sister,” Drizella snapped, fighting to sit up properly against the pillar she was still firmly tied to.

   “Was by the time she woke in the Heights.” Alice said, groaning. “God, I feel sick.”

   “If we’re not waiting for your mother. Why are we here? Why did you bring me here?” Drizella hissed.

   “I’m waiting for my papa and Robin.” Alice explained, standing and trying to walk off the dizziness in her head by pacing around the area.

   “To finish me off? Well go ahead!” Drizella shouted.

   “If I wanted to finish you off, I wouldn’t have bandaged your wound.” Alice snapped, walking over and pulling the blanket off her so she could see the binding around her leg.

   Drizella paused, frowning down at her limb. “You… Why did you do that?” She looked up at Alice. This close, she could clearly see the tears rolling down her swollen cheek and the bruise on her forehead that stood out among the rest if only because Alice knew that was the only one caused by her.

   “Because this isn’t real, Drizella.” Alice said, crouching by her side. “And I’m getting really tired of repeating myself. But here I go!” She made herself comfortable, taking the blanket that had been on Drizella and using it to dry off some of the remaining alcohol still sticking to her hair. “Gothel has changed the world thanks to a spell. A powerful one that took most of her magic. It changed the world so she was… Empress.” She pulled a face and stuck out her tongue. “The truth is, none of this is real, none of your memories are. It’s all a trick. In the real world, we beat Gothel. And she’s a sore loser. So she did some stuff and messed everything up for the rest of us.”

   “That’s nonsense.” Drizella said, glaring at her.

   “Why?” Alice frowned. “Gothel’s a witch. Why is it so crazy to believe magic screwed things for us? Why is it so hard to believe that there’s a chance that we’re happier in another life? Or that she lost and is just bitter about it.”

   Drizella hesitated, opening her mouth before closing it again and frowned at her in silence.

   “Just think.” Alice pressed. “If there’s even a chance that we can undo this and change things. Are you really going to stop me?”

   “How do I know you’re telling the truth?” Drizella growled, but there was a slight waiver to her voice.

   “Because no person as drunk as I am, could lie this convincingly.” Alice shrugged.

   “It might not be a lie. It might be that you really are just insane.” Drizella sneered.

   “Maybe so. A lot of people seem to think that’s true. But, that just means that I’m going to get myself killed on an insane idea anyway.” Alice shrugged. “So what’s the harm in letting me try? On one hand, I’m telling the truth and I fix things and everyone gets a better life. On the other, I’m insane and nothing changes. And so, if you kill me, then, on one hand, you stop me from making your life better, and on the other hand, Gothel kills you for killing me and you’re dead.” Alice shrugged, rubbing her eyes. “If you want to die then fine, I can’t stop you. But. I dunno, just hold off for a bit in case, in case there’s something _better_ for you. You know?”

   Drizella glared at her, then took a shaky breath and let out a soft sob. “Say…” Drizella cleared her throat. “Say I believe you. Tell me. What’s my life like… In this other world? Does my mother… Does she care for me? Are we family?”

   Alice hesitated, taking a slow breath to keep her thoughts clear so as not to say the wrong thing. “I don’t really know you that well in the real world. I know you and your mum don’t get on great but… Well, your sister’s a nice girl. If nothing else, you can be a family with her.” She purposely left out some important details. After all, when they returned home, Drizella would have her memories back about what happened to her mother. No point dashing her hopes when she didn’t need to.

   And on top of that, Alice’s head still wasn’t clear enough to be tactful with such sensitive information.

   “Anastasia’s nice?” Drizella laughed cynically through her tears.

   “What’s she like here?” Alice asked, leaning back on her hands.

   “She’s Gothel’s little mini me.” Drizella said with a snarl. “She left our family and hasn’t spoken to any of us since, even when my mum tried to reach her, she blocked her out…” She hesitated then sneered. “ _And_ she’s your best friend.”

   “Why does that not surprise me,” Alice snorted, rolling her eyes then wincing. “I mean, she’s nice and all but I don’t see us ever being buddies in the real world.”

   Drizella sniffed and shifted on the spot. “Can you untie me? I need to blow my nose.”

   Alice hesitated, then shook her head. “Sorry. Nope. But here,” She grabbed the blanket and held it to her nose. “Blow.”

   Drizella glared at her, but did as she asked. Alice dropped the blanket to the floor when she was done and sat back again. For a moment the two girls fell into a silence, one that felt awkward for Drizella but quite peaceful for Alice. In fact, she wished her whole life could be as silent as now, with only a gentle wind rustling through the cracks and holes along the broken building around her, just enough to sound like soft natural music without making her head ache.

   Then; “What happens after your friends arrive?” Drizella asked.

   “We leave.” Alice said. “Go and find a friend of mine and put a stop to Gothel once and for all. You can join if you want. Help take that bitch down.” She grinned.

   “No.” Drizella said immediately, shaking her head.

   “Just no?” Alice blinked.

   “Just no.” Drizella confirmed, turning her head away and sniffing sadly off to the side.

   “Okay…” Alice said quietly, suddenly feeling a lot more sober.

   After that, they fell silent once more, and this time no one broke it. Alice lay back on the floor, still feeling a little drunk, and it didn’t take long before she had drifted to sleep all the while Drizella continued to cry quietly by her feet just a few inches away.

   She knew it was dangerous. But now that the adrenaline had all but worn off and the rum was settling in her stomach, Alice suddenly found herself incredibly tired and she just couldn’t keep her eyes open even if she was thinking straight enough to want to.

   And, thankfully, for the first night since she changed the world, Gothel didn’t make an appearance in her dreams.

**To Be Continued...**

_Chapter Thirteen: Back On The Move - Sneak Peek:_    
 _“I don’t… Think you’re crazy.” Killian said carefully. “Just… Confused. And anyway! Let’s say the spell is real and we can’t undo it. I want you to know that, no matter what you decide to do afterwards, I want to be a part of your life now. And, if you want, you could come and live with me on my ship…”_  
 _“We don’t need to worry about that.” Alice said firmly. “We’re going to undo the spell and fix things and we’ll be together again back in Hyperion Heights. You, me and Robin. And Robin’s mum and Rumplestiltskin and-”_  
 _“Wait what? What did you just say?!” Killian demanded, grabbing her sleeve and pulling her to a stop, letting go as soon, even though it was the exact opposite of what he wanted to do._  
 _“What?” Alice blinked, surprised by how terrified he suddenly looked._  
 _“The people you said would be together, me, you, Robin, her mother and…” Killian trailed off and waited for her to finish for him._  
 _“Rumplestiltskin?” Alice blinked. “He’s the friend I was telling you about-”_  
 _“He’s the friend you were talking about?!” Killian shouted._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm not entirely happy with the fight scene. I think I repeated too much... But then I am my own worst critic so what do you guys think? Did it flow naturally?
> 
> Please comment, tell me what you think of the chapter, tell me what you think is going to happen in the next chapter, tell me what you wish would happen, tell me what you thought of the finale, just tell me something!  
> Thank you! ;) <3


	13. On The Move

   Alice was woken by someone kicking her leg. She groaned and tried to kick back, but they suddenly stomped their heel hard onto the exposed area of her leg and she gasped at the pain, sitting up sharply, only to be greeted by another blinding pain in her skull. It was a feeling that made her head so heavy, she nearly collapsed back down again. Reaching up, she rubbed her forehead, wincing at the sensitivity of her skin and whimpering slightly. She felt like she was swaying from her side to side until she was able to slowly sit up straight without feeling the strong desire to faint. It was quite dark in the barn now, but she still squinted like it was blinding, turning to look at where Drizella was still tied to the pillar, frowning at her.

   “What?” Alice groaned, then winced at the sound of her own voice, which was way too loud for her liking.

   “Someone’s coming,” Drizella said. Her voice was almost emotionless, and the tears had long since dried from her face, like she didn’t even care about what happened next.

   Alice tensed, turning and looking at the opening of the barn. She’d shut the doors as best as she could, but they were broken and splintered and refused to close all the way no matter how much she had tried pushing them. From the angle she was at, Alice couldn’t see outside, but she spotted what Drizella was talking about, as there were shadows moving between the crack and a distinct sound of whispering between at least two people.

   “Shh,” Alice whispered, standing slowly and pulling out her dagger from her boot, creeping towards the door.

   “Whatever,” Drizella grumbled.

   There was little time to worry about Drizella right now. She was too busy worrying about her papa and her love. She’d been out of it before thanks to the rum, but now she could worry freely and wonder if they had made it out of their own encounters with Gothel’s guards or if they had been caught, or worse, killed. She believed in them, but that didn’t stop her thinking up all the worst possible scenarios on how they might have lost. And if she lost either of them, or even if she only lost one, Alice didn’t know if she’d be able to go on.

   Before Alice could dive any further into those thoughts, the door was forcibly pushed open. She tensed, reaching to hold the dagger up in front of her threateningly but almost immediately relaxed it again as Killian’s face appeared in the gap. He squeezed through the tight entrance and was quickly followed by Robin.

   They were both looking a little tired and tattered. Killian’s coat had several holes and rips littering the lower back, and his shoulder was bleeding through his make shift sleeve bandage with a fresh cut along his left leg, while Robin had a nasty wound over her cheek and was wincing with almost every step she took. But considering what could have happened to them, they looked downright good as new. Alice couldn’t be more thrilled to have them back, safe and sound.

   Out of habit, Alice resisted going to her father and instead jumped towards Robin, dropping her dagger to the floor and throwing her arms around her, hugging her close. There was a slight hesitation from the other girl but Alice felt an excited thrill as Robin slowly put one arm around her in turn, placing her hand against her back softly while still holding her bow in her other hand, almost exactly like she would normally hug her back in the real Enchanted Forest.

   “I’m so glad you’re both okay,” Alice gasped, still clinging to Robin’s shoulders.

   “What about you?” Killian asked, stepping towards her. “Are you alright, Alice?”

   “I’m fine,” Alice laughed, stepping back but keeping an arm around Robin’s back, smiling at them one at a time.

   Robin let go of Alice and tried to put some space between them but paused mid-step and a small smirk appeared on her face as she caught sight of something across the room. “I see you’ve been having fun.” She nodded towards Drizella.

   “Oh, right. Yeah, that.” Alice said, feeling embarrassed like she had been caught with something she shouldn’t have. “Well, I just had to keep her from trying to kill me, is all.”

   “There are easier ways,” Robin mumbled darkly.

   “Maybe so,” Alice said, reaching and gently brushing some blood from Robin’s chin. “But not for me.” She leaned over and kissed her cheek gently over the wound before letting her go and walking back over to Drizella, pausing to pick up the dagger along the way.

   If Alice was being honest, she didn’t like this darker side of Robin, but if she was being _really_ honest, then she understood it. Robin’s memories, Drizella’s memories, _everyone’s_ memories, of this world all involved them having miserable lives where they served under Gothel and suffered almost every second of it. They lived lives where it was kill or be killed, hate or be hated, hurt or be hurt, and so Alice didn’t blame anyone, least of all Robin, for their slight change in their morals. It simply meant Alice was going to have to work even harder to save them from themselves.

   “We shouldn’t dawdle.” Killian warned them. “There will be more guards, especially after the bodies of the others have been found. We need to move out as soon as we’re all ready, we can rest after we’ve put some space between us and this place.”

   “We will, papa, just one moment.” Alice said, walking over to Drizella and crouching on her knees beside her, much closer than she had last night.

   Drizella turned to stare at her, then a slight smirk formed on her lips. That was a good sign. At least some of her old self was still in there. “How’s the hangover?” She asked.

   “Intense.” Alice said and winced at another throb of pain. “That was my first and last experience with rum.”

   Drizella sneered. “Whatever.”

   “Do you want to come with us?” Alice asked her calmly.

   “Didn’t we have this conversation before your nap?” Drizella demanded.

   “Yeah, but that was yesterday.” Alice shrugged.

   “It’s the same day, you idiot. Plus, my answer hasn’t changed.” Drizella said coldly. “I won’t join you on your fool’s trip.”

   “You don’t think we can do it?” Alice asked.

   “No, I don’t.” Drizella said. “But more than that. I don’t care. Part of me wants to believe you when you say none of this is real and there’s another world out there for me, but it also changes nothing. You think you’re so subtle. You’re not. My life in this ‘real’ world is only slightly better than my life here. So I don’t care whether you fix things or not. I don’t care about anything anymore.” Tears began to fill her eyes again as emotions broke through on her red and purple shaded face. “I’ve lost everything I ever cared about.”

   Alice hesitated, then used the dagger to cut the rope around her arms and wrists. “You may not have anything now, but there’s always tomorrow.” She shrugged, standing up. “When you’ve hit rock bottom, the only place left to go is up.” Alice smiled sadly. “Those are the thoughts that got me through the day when Gothel cursed my papa’s heart against me. I lost everything I had that day, but that just meant I had nothing left to lose. It meant the only thing I could do is gain.” She glanced over at Robin and smiled at her. “Then I met my true love.”

   There was a short moment where she and Robin caught each other’s eyes and, for the first time, Robin didn’t scowl or snort dismissively at her comments of their love. Instead she watched Alice closely before finally looking away, a slight blush spreading over her cheeks. Killian glanced between the two of them in silence, a small smile pulling at the corner of his lips even while his eyes were left looking a little puzzled.

   Alice turned back to Drizella and shrugged. “I can’t promise you anything, but maybe now that you’ve lost everything, it’s time to find your true love. Or even just a true best friend or a true sister or whatever else you want. Your life is yours, Drizella. Do whatever the hell you want with it.” She winked. “Let me handle that ugly bitch, Gothel.”

   With that, Alice turned and hurried back over to her father and love. She immediately took Robin’s hand and pulled her along to the door, not bothering to look back as Drizella slowly pushed the ropes off and watched them leave. Alice didn’t really know Drizella, and maybe nothing she said had gotten through, but she did all she could. Now she had to focus on saving everyone else.

   “Do you have to hold my hand?” Robin said, but she didn’t sound annoyed. Mostly she just sounded a little tired.

   “You should know by now, love.” Alice grinned. “Yes. Yes I do.”

**O*U*A*T**

   The three of them walked around the barn and across the rest of the open field. Robin’s limp eased off after a while and she explained that she got it when the guard had fired an arrow at her. It missed her, but had come close enough to cause her to dodge to the side, where she proceeded to trip over a large rock and badly bruised herself in the process. However that also ended up saving her. By that point she was out of arrows and after the fall, she was close enough to the ground that she could collect some nearby stones, using them to fire from her bow instead, striking the guard on his nose and stalling him long enough for her to jump over and knock him down. From there, it was child’s play to finish him off, after which she took his arrows for her own. In fact, she would have gotten to the barn much sooner than Killian, had it not been for the fact that she had run for a longer stretch time than he had and it was quite a journey back again.

   When Alice asked about the cut on her cheek, Robin was forced to confess that the injury had come from a nearby peasant who was – in Robin’s words – “stupidly in love with Gothel or something”. The man had jumped Robin right after she defeated the guard, catching her off guard and getting one lucky shot of her cheek before she “knocked some sense into him” and sent him running back the way he came.

   Ironically, Killian had a similar story of surprises appearances from nearby bystanders, though his was much more helpful. Two guards had chased after him, and he had run for as long as he could until he stumbled on a campsite that appeared to have been abandoned. He turned and faced them for as long as he could, dodging their shots (his coat being unfortunately enough to take most of the damage) and blocking their blows, but they proved stronger than he thought and, with the two of them, they began to get the best of the old pirate.

   And then, the cavalry arrived. Or rather, the campers. They showed up and immediately set about saving Killian’s life, surrounding the guards until it was easy to take them down and finish them off, even going so far as to strip them of their armour and weapons for themselves. The campers revealed their true hatred for Gothel, and that they always wanted to do what they could to fight against her, but it was only when seeing Killian take on two of them that they finally gathered the courage.

   “It’s probably because those memories are all fake,” Alice chipped in. “They would have fought in the past if they had been in control, but because Gothel made up their memories, she made the think they were cowards. But now that they’re in control of their actions again, they did what they really would have.”

   Killian and Robin exchanged looks, but said nothing. Alice noticed, but also said nothing. Instead she just tightened the grip she had where she had looped her arm through Robin’s and kept smiling cheerfully ahead.

   After a moment she suddenly felt Robin lean in towards her. A thrill ran through her and she turned, hoping to meet her half way only for Robin to twist around and lean towards her hair instead of her lips. It took her another second before she realised what she was doing.

   “Why does your head smell of rum?” Robin demanded when she had finished sniffing the still damp strands by her head.

   “Oh,” Alice said, then winced. “Um. I kind of, got into the hidden stash and had a few sips.”

   “You what?!” Killian demanded loudly.

   Robin ignored him. “How much is a few sips?” She said with a small smirk.

   Alice smiled shyly back and shrugged. “Enough that my head is still hurting from it.”

   “You got drunk on rum?!” Killian shouted, moving to stand in front of her and forcing the girls to come to a complete stop.

   “Really? We’re doing this now?” Robin asked, but it was her turn to be ignored.

   “I was waiting for you and got thirsty,” Alice shrugged.

   “But rum?” Killian said, “Do you have any idea how strong that drink is? You’re far too young to be getting drunk on rum!”

   “She’s in her mid twenties,” Robin snorted, rolling her eyes.

   “And I know how strong it is… Now,” Alice said with a cheeky smile and shrug. “Anyway, I’m mostly over it… Mostly.”

   “Can we keep going now? Or are you not done making up for all the years you missed out on being an overprotective father?” Robin demanded.

   Killian tripped over his next words and his face turned a slight shade of pink before he finally stepped aside and allowed the girls to keep walking. It was hard not find his reaction funny and Alice giggled as she walked passed him, enjoying his over protectiveness at the same time as she leaned slightly against Robin and enjoyed her warmth.

   “Just… Don’t go drinking any more rum. If you’re thirsty then we’ll find some water,” Killian said finally.

   “Okay, papa, I promise.” Alice said with a grin.

   She glanced out of the corner of her eyes and saw Robin was smiling as well. Alice felt her grin widen and she nudged her, keeping their arms linked before leaning over to rest her head on Robin’s shoulder.

   “Ugh,” Robin cringed, rolling her shoulder and knocking her head off. “You absolutely stink.”

   “Aw, you break my heart, love.” Alice pouted.

   “Quit calling me that,” Robin grumbled, but she didn’t sound as annoyed by it any more.

   “Whatever you say, cutie,” Alice said, leaning over and kissing the side of her neck.

   Behind them, Killian watched the girls closely, or rather, he watched Robin. The love in Alice’s eyes was true, he saw that almost immediately. She may be delusional with the ideas of another world where Gothel wasn’t as powerful as she was now and where he had some been there to raise her but that didn’t mean her feelings were not one hundred percent genuine. That was the one and only thing Killian was sure about the daughter that he had known all of a few days. But Robin wasn’t so easy to figure out. Killian had a feeling that even she wasn’t sure how she felt about Alice any more.

   Robin finally pulled her arm free of the other girl and tried to step away from her but Alice just gave a little chase, grabbing her arm again and kissing her wounded cheek enthusiastically for a second time. Robin quickly snapped at her, but even Killian could see she wasn’t being serious about it. In fact, it looked like she was fighting the urge to smile when Alice wrapped her arms around Robin’s waist, and even her attempts to wriggle loose were half hearted.

   The girl’s fun ended sharply, however, when Robin turned and caught Killian watching them. Immediately, the laughter died from Robin’s face as embarrassment took its place and she suddenly went very quiet. She reached over and swat Alice’s arm away from her, much more seriously now and pushing her off roughly.

   “We should stay focused.” Robin said, clearing her throat before turning and striding ahead of them.

   Killian stepped over just in time to see Alice’s smile drop from her face. She tried to shrug it off, kicking up some of the dirt at her feet and trailing behind the other girl with her shoulders suddenly sagging.

   “You alright?” Killian asked softly, fighting the urge to put an arm around her. He wanted to, but he also knew he shouldn’t waste the power of the necklace he wore any more than he already had. Robin was right about that much at least.

   “Fine,” Alice mumbled. “I just… Want to hurry up and fix things.”

   Killian paused, then moved as close to her as he could without touching. “Alice. If we can’t… Undo this spell…” He said slowly.

   “You don’t have to pretend you believe me.” Alice said immediately. “I know you think I’m crazy.”

   “I don’t… Think you’re crazy.” Killian said carefully. “Just… Confused. And anyway! Let’s say the spell is real and we can’t undo it. I want you to know that, no matter what you decide to do afterwards, I want to be a part of your life now. And, if you want, you could come and live with me on my ship…”

   “We don’t need to worry about that.” Alice said firmly. “We’re going to undo the spell and fix things and we’ll be together again back in Hyperion Heights. You, me and Robin. And Robin’s mum and Rumplestiltskin and-”

   “Wait what? What did you just say?!” Killian demanded, grabbing her sleeve and pulling her to a stop, letting go just as soon, even though it was the exact opposite of what he wanted to do.

   “What?” Alice blinked, surprised by how terrified he suddenly looked.

   “The people you said would be together. Me, you, Robin, her mother and…” Killian trailed off and waited for her to finish.

   “Rumplestiltskin?” Alice blinked. “He’s the friend I was telling you about-”

    “ _He’s_ the friend you were talking about?!” Killian shouted.

   “Everything alright?” Robin asked, pausing ahead before she walked back towards them.

   “Yeah, papa’s just over reacting.” Alice shrugged with a small smile as she remembered the stories she had heard from before the first curse. “He and that friend of mine have history but it’s in the past now.”

   Killian was shocked into a stunned silence but Alice just smiled at him and walked past. She knew the history between her papa and Rumplestiltskin very well by now, but she wasn’t worried about what would happen once they met again. Even if her father was still angry about it, things would be put right again once her papa saw how much of a good man his old enemy had become and they would forgive each other in this world like they had in the other.

   “Well, look, it’s getting dark and it’s not safe to be walking around blindly like this.” Robin explained. “There's some trees up ahead. We can set up camp in the clearing between them for the night and get going again just before sunrise.”

   “Alice,” Killian began with a warning in his tone.

   “Lead the way,” Alice said to Robin, glancing back at her father even as she began to walk ahead of him. “Relax, papa. Everything will be fine. I’ll explain it all after we’ve got some rest.”

**O*U*A*T**

   The area Robin had found was pretty near perfect for a nights rest. It was at the bottom of a cliff, so high that they couldn’t quite see the top of it, and all other sides were surrounded by a thick clump of trees that were so tightly fit against each other in a way that it would take a few minutes for someone to work their way through the gaps in order to stage any kind of an attack. The ground was already crumbling and rough but, just to be safe, Robin scattered a series of sticks and dry leaves around the outside area, knowing that it would make a fair amount of noise when stepped on, meaning no one would be able to easily sneak up on them during the night.

   Another added bonus was the nearby waterfall that led down to a long flowing river where they were able to pause for a moment in order to quench their almost desperate thirst. Alice even splashed some water onto her face, hoping it would help to ease some of her aching head and rid her of the last remains of sleep still refusing to pass on. She’d been very sluggish since leaving the barn and was looking forward to getting some proper rest here with her love and her father by her side, just like old times – though this would be the first time they were all together which was all the more special to Alice, even if it was under such dire circumstances.

   After they had a drink and collected some nearby food – including Robin pausing to shoot them a couple of stray rabbits – they retired back to their campsite and began to set up for the evening. Robin built the fire in the centre of the clearing while Killian started gutting and cleaning the meat carefully by the side. He’d first tried to get Alice to sit down and talk with him, but she had skirted around him each time in favour of other tasks, each time talking over him until he gave up for the evening and sulked over to take his frustration out on their evening meal instead.

   “You still stink,” Robin said, wrinkling her nose when Alice wandered over to volunteer a hand now that she was finished clearing the space where they would be sleeping.

   “Is it that bad?” Alice asked, pausing and taking a strand of her hair and sniffing it, only to cringe at the strong scent of rum still clinging on. “Okay, yeah, I see what you mean.”

   “Go use the river to wash up in.” Robin nodded, turning back to their almost fire.

   Alice nodded, reaching up and running a hand through her sticky hair. “Good idea.” She paused, then added. “Wanna come with?” Robin turned an angry look at her but Alice quickly raised her hands. “Not that. I mean, I would love that but, no. I was just thinking it would be safer, since the water isn’t as contained as our little spot here. And, to be honest, love, you could do with a wash yourself.” Alice said, making a point of wrinkling her nose down at her.

   Robin frowned at her for a moment before turning away and nodding. “Fine. It’d be nice to have a proper wash, actually.”

   Alice didn’t bother hiding her joy when she reached down, grabbing Robin’s hand and winking at her as she hauled her back onto her feet. As soon as Robin was standing, Alice began to drag her towards the opening between the trees, ignoring her slight protest as they squeezed through the largest gap. She couldn’t help it. While Alice was happy to be with her father again, she was also eager for some more alone time with Robin. Even if it wasn’t the way it used to be.

   “We’ll be right back, papa!” Alice called.

   “Wait, Alice.” Killian said suddenly. “We really need to talk about your… _friend_.”

   “Later, papa, I promise.” Alice said. “We’re just going to get cleaned up! Be back before you know it!”

   He watched her go with a slight frown, but in the end he didn’t bother arguing. They could deal with the issue of her ‘friend’ later once they had gotten some food in their stomachs and cleared their heads a bit. Maybe then what Alice said would actually make some sense!

   So while Killian continued to take out his violent frustrations on their meal and ponder what he was going to say to his daughter – finding it amusing how easy it was to act a parent to her despite never being in her life – Alice and Robin took a short stroll back towards the river. They made a point of keeping away from the waterfall, choosing a quieter and calmer part of the river to bath in, just in case.

   As soon as they were out of sight of her father, Alice began to strip down, not hesitating to lay all of her clothes on the side and step down into the water. It was freezing cold and she shivered as the water splashed her bare skin, but as cold as it was, she forced herself not to hesitate, dropping completely until she was sat down and allowing the shallow stream to nearly cover her face. Alice rolled back, floating and letting her hair soak in the water for a moment before she turned to find Robin still standing on the side. She had her back to Alice, but even from that angle, Alice could see her ears were burning pink and she had only half undressed before pausing for some reason.

   Then Alice realised why Robin was hesitating, and why she was blushing. And as soon as the reasons clicked in her mind, Alice couldn’t keep from laughing at her, swimming through the shallow water over to her side and resting her arms on the warm grass.

   “What’s the matter?” Alice asked with a grin. “Shy?”

   Robin, still pink in the face, forced herself to turn and look down at her. “What are you going to do if some of your mother’s guards show up and we have to fight them or run at a moments notice?”

   “Fight, of course.” Alice shrugged. “I’ll bet my being naked would really throw the enemy off and give us an edge.”

   Robin scowled in such a convincing way that Alice’s own smile dimmed nervously. Then she caught sight of her cheeks twitching and her fists clenching as she struggled not to let her amusement show… Well, too late for that.

   “Think it’ll work?” Alice grinned, stretching back and exposing herself before kicking water up, splashing her playfully. “Now are you going to get washed or just stand there watching like a pervert?”

   “If I get undressed, are you going to continue to sexually harass me?” Robin asked, raising an eyebrow and pointedly keeping her eyes on Alice’s face.

   “Is it really sexual harassment if you’re loving every second of it?” Alice teased.

   “Keep telling yourself that,” Robin mumbled, rolling her eyes.

   “What if I give you my word that I won’t try anything?” Alice asked. “I just want to clean up and spend some quiet time with you.”

   “You mean that, huh?” Robin asked, but she had already continued to slowly undress.

   “Promise.” Alice nodded. “I love you, Robin. I love all our time together. Even when all we do with it is talk.”

   “Do you care how uncomfortable you make me when you talk like that?” Robin demanded, pausing at her underwear before she finally – and in a rush – stripped down and stepped into the water so quickly that it splashed around her. She immediately sat down, pulling her knees up to her chest as best as she could, and while it did nothing to actually shield her body from view through the clear water around her, Alice seemed to be holding true to her word and kept her eyes from peering any further south than her chin.

   “Like what?” Alice blinked.

   “Like you’re so in love with me.” Robin snapped. “We’ve never spoken before a couple of days ago. And yeah, you’re cute and all but you can’t love someone you don’t know. And before you go on about this other world of yours-” Robin said, holding up a hand when Alice opened her mouth to argue. “-Even if it is real, which it isn’t, then that still isn’t me. We’re not the same person so you can’t love me. You love this other person- this idea of me. But that’s not who I am. Not really.”

   Alice laughed in delight, swimming slightly closer and hovering by her side. “You really think you’re that different?”

   “We’re not the same person.” Robin said stubbornly, she reached back onto the side towards her bag, pulling out a cloth she normally saved for cleaning her arrows to begin scrubbing at her skin instead.

   “Let’s play a game.” Alice said, dipping her hair back and attempting to wash out the smell of rum with nothing but the clear water – God she had only been here less than a month and she already missed her regular soap’s and shampoo’s. “I’ll say things I know about you. And you tell me whether or not they’re true. That way we’ll see how different you really are.”

   “Whatever,” Robin sighed, lifting her hair to get at the area on the back of her neck.

   “Okay, first. Your name is Robin Mills-Hood.” Alice stated, sitting up to look at her properly.

   “Well that’s an easy one.” Robin snorted, rolling her eyes.

   “You’re twenty five years old.” Alice nodded.

   “You’re not going to win me over by stating things you could have found out just by asking a few random villagers who happened to live nearby.” Robin said, making a point of sounding very bored of the conversation.

   “Your mother is Zelena, the former Wicked Witch of Oz, and your dad is Robin Hood, the former thief for the poor.” Alice went on, ignoring her.

   Finally Robin hesitated, but then still nodded somewhat casually. “Yup.”

   “You had magic of your own, but you gave it up.” That made Robin pause her cleaning and cast her look from the corner of her eyes. “And you picked up archery because it felt natural to you when you held a bow for the first time.”

   “Go on…”

   “You like the colour green. But not for the reason everyone thinks you would, like that it helps you blend in with the woods or anything strategic like that, but because it’s the same colour as your eyes and everyone is always complimenting them.” Alice said, then leaned forward and added with a flirtatious smile. “They’re dazzling, by the way.”

   Robin seemed momentarily torn before she shrugged it off and nodded once more, “Yeah.”

   “You’re not a big fan of heights.” Alice said.

   “True,” Robin said slowly.

   “Your favourite wild animal is a fox.” Alice nodded.

   “Yes.” Robin was frowning at her now and had completely stopped washing.

   “You always wanted a little sibling you could boss around.” Alice laughed. “And you hate going to sleep at night because you think the stars at beautiful. You love the idea of there being more in the world and you’ll stay up for hours just to stand outside and watch them. In fact, you love falling asleep outside and you’d probably do it every night if your mum didn’t physically drag you back in on nights when it rained.”

   After a pause, Robin leaned towards her. “So, what? You’ve been spying on me? Is that what this is all about? You’re my own personal stalker?”

   “I’m just a girl who’s madly in love.” Alice shrugged. “And who knows everything about you because of all the time we’ve spent together.”

   “We haven’t spent any time together.” Robin said coldly. “Just because you know some facts about me doesn’t mean you know _me_ as a person. Anyone could watch me and know what I like and what I do. But you don’t know how I think or feel. Not really.”

   “Okay then. Let’s go deeper.” Alice said, swimming slightly closer to her. “You’re a brave person. Though sometimes a little reckless, but I think that’s cute.” Alice grinned. “You stand up for people, not even always because you think you should but because you think it’s what others would do. Like your dad or your aunt. I know for a while you struggled with feelings of not knowing who you are so you tend to live off others and now you think you’re kind of a mix of everyone who means something to you but the truth is, you’re not a mix. You’ve always been you, even if you can’t see it.”

   Robin was speechless, frowning at Alice but not saying anything or moving away when Alice inched slightly closer to her.

   “Or how about something a little harder then?” Alice said. Part of her just wanted to show off, but another part of her was, admittedly, still trying to convince Robin that none of her memories of this world were real in hopes of waking her up. She thought back, trying to think of the one thing that Robin had told her and no one else. “I know you’re really a softy at heart, even though you try and pretend otherwise. I know this because I know you want to cry for your father, all the time, but not because you miss him. The opposite in fact. You don’t miss him and that makes you feel guilty because you feel like you should and so you feel awful for not missing him, but you just don’t know him and you’ve had a life time of love from your mum and aunt that he’s more of a passing thought most days. You think it would be nice to have him around, but you don’t dream or wish for it. You kind of shrug it off more than anything and that makes you feel like the worst person in the world.”

   Robin had gone suddenly very pale, her lips pressing together as she stared at Alice wide eyed. Alice saw the fear in her eyes and suddenly wondered if she might have gone too far.

   “You’re not a bad person,” Alice mumbled, unsure on what else to say. She moved so she was right beside Robin now, reaching to take her hand and relieved when she didn’t immediately pull away. “You’re a _good_ person. Someone who I am madly in love with for that reason and many more.”

   “How do you know that?” Robin whispered, finally. “I’ve never told _anyone_ about that.”

   “Except me,” Alice added softly.

   Robin shook her head, frowning and reaching up to rub her temples like she was fighting back a fierce headache. “I’m trying-… I’m trying to figure out if you’ve, I dunno, cast a spell. Maybe got your mum to cast it for you so you could learn everything about me. A magic level stalking and like-… Or-… I dunno, if maybe you really believe all of this and maybe you’re the one under the spell.”

   “What?” Alice blinked. Okay, that was unexpected.

   “Did you ever consider that?” Robin said, suddenly finding a boost of confidence on her own theory. “That maybe you were the one who has had a spell cast on you? Maybe Gothel’s magic backfired on her and you were standing too close or something and now you have all these fake memories in your head telling you of another world and another life you lived?”

    “No, I know my memories are real.” Alice said firmly.

   “But _how_ do you know?” Robin pressed.

   “Because I believe,” Alice said, nodding her head and touching a hand to her chest. “And I know what’s true in my heart.”

   “Well so do I.” Robin shrugged stubbornly. “I know what’s true, and I believe in my memories. So how do you know that yours are the real ones?”

   “Because I faced Gothel. She said that this is a fake world to my face. She told me that I’m the only one awake in it.” Alice explained.

   “That part could have been a hallucination. That could be part of the magic.” Robin noted. “Just think about it. How do you know what’s real and what’s not when a single spell can change your entire identity?”

   Alice’s mouth had gone heavy and her tongue was close to being numb from her own uncomfortable surprise at how accurate Robin’s words could be. She was stuck when she found she couldn’t argue with her on that one, because she had no real argument for it. Back before the curse had been broken, she had been so sure about her Tilly memories. They had felt so real that she would have called anyone insane for suggesting otherwise.

   “Because,” Alice said finally. “This world… It’s awful. And if I’m going to believe in anything… It’s going to be a world better than this one.” She watched Robin for a reaction, but when she just sat staring at her in silence, Alice added quietly: “Can we stop talking about this now?”

   Robin nodded at her, calmly. “Yeah, okay.” She said, resuming to wash the rest of her body in an almost silence for a few seconds. She had a sudden tense feeling, like she couldn’t get comfortable where she was still crouched in the water.

   “Need help?” Alice asked lightly, trying to get them back into their earlier, more joyful moods.

   Robin hesitated but that same uncomfortable feeling was still pushing down on her so she held out the cloth to the other girl, trying to brush it off by filling the silence. “Sure, but just my back.”

   “Just your back,” Alice agreed, smiling as she accepted the cloth and began to use it to gently massage the soft skin along her spine and shoulders.

   Robin half expected Alice to make a grab for her backside or to start kissing her neck or something else that would cause Robin to immediately pull away and scowl at her and at the same time ease some of the odd tightness building in her stomach, but it seemed Alice had really meant her promise earlier. Either that or she had been really spooked by Robin’s theory of Alice’s memories being the ones that were fake. Finally Robin could make sense of why she was so uncomfortable. She realised she actually felt a little bad about putting those ideas in her head. Which was really dumb, since the fear Alice had about her whole life being a lie was exactly what she expected Robin to accept about her own history.

   The girls finished washing themselves in an almost silence filled only by the occasional splashing of the water, and when they climbed out, they dressed in almost silence as well. As they made their way back to the campsite, side by side in damp dripping clothes, Alice barely looked at her, let alone said anything or attempted to cuddle by her side like she had earlier. It got to the point where Robin found herself feeling more and more guilty over what she said. She hadn’t even meant to hurt her, she was just trying to get Alice to understand, to see the truth about her delusions and now, well, it was almost like she had broken her.

   In the end, the sour silence and cold distance between them was too much for Robin. Mentally kicking herself for what she was about to do – because she knew it was going to bite her in the ass later – she reached over between them and looped her arm around Alice’s elbow. When Alice didn’t immediately respond to her touch, she reached down and entwined their fingers together as well, watching until Alice finally glanced at her, smiling softly. When Robin returned the smile, Alice leaned over and kissed her softly on the cheek.

   And, yeah, Robin would be lying if she said she didn’t prefer it when Alice was smiling. After all, she did have a pretty cute smile.

**To Be Continued...**

_Chapter Fourteen: Campfire Talk - Sneak Peek:_  
_“Wait, WHAT?!” Robin physically jumped to her feet and backed away like Alice had just caught the plague._  
_“You… You have memories of him in this world?” Alice said hesitantly, feeling both her father and her love now openly staring at her like she had grown a second head._  
_“Alice…” Robin said slowly. “What do you think you know about that man?”_  
_“He’s my friend,” Alice said stubbornly, turning to look back at Killian. “And I know he’s done bad things in the past but he’s changed, papa. He’s a good man. He’s not the same as when he killed Milah.”_  
_“What… Alice, what are you talking about?” Killian frowned._  
_“It’s probably from that other world she thinks she lived in.” Robin said slowly, watching Alice._  
_“How do you know Rumplestiltskin?” Alice said, turning to look up at her._  
_“SHHH!” Robin and Killian hissed._  
_Alice looked around quickly but then realised they were both still staring at her. “What?” She whispered._  
_“Don’t say his name!” Robin said sharply. “You’ll summon him!”_  
_“Oh… I never thought of that!” Alice beamed. “Rumple-”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a slow chapter for this one. Mostly focused on Robin and Alice growing closer as well as touching on something that always bugged me. If your memories can be changed completely by a curse, how can you ever be sure what you remember is real? *dramatic music plays!*
> 
> Please comment, tell me what you think of the chapter, tell me what you think is going to happen in the next chapter, tell me what you wish would happen, tell me how many jumping jacks you can do in under a minute, just tell me something!  
> Thank you! ;) <3


	14. Campfire Talk

   When they returned back to Killian, he had the fire going strong and a cooked meal all ready waiting for them. While he didn’t say anything, he watched them closely as they took their places by the burning flames, drying themselves off with its heat at the same time as they engorged on their warm dinner. Once they were finished, the silence continued as Robin began brushing her fingers through her hair, doing what she could to tie it back out of the way into her usual plait.

   The quiet stretched on and normally Alice would have broken it, either by cracking an inappropriate joke or simply by asking questions to know more about this world but for now, Alice didn’t feel like talking much at all. She couldn’t keep herself from become lost in her thoughts, turning away from everyone else to stare into the flicking flames, thinking over what her love had said to her and wondering just how accurate it was. She couldn’t focus on anything else. She needed to remember, to cling onto what she knew to be the truth, but Robin had such a good point. It was impossible for her not to think about it now that it had finally been said aloud and it worried her more than anything else.

   What if all her memories were the ones that were fake, after all? What if this entire time, she was fighting to fix something that wasn’t even really broken? At least not in the way she had thought it was. What did that mean? What would happen if they managed to overthrow Gothel? Would she just… What? Go and live with her father on the Jolly Roger? But what about their curse? And what about Robin? Would she ever truly love her the way she had in the other world or was that memory as fake as her Tilly ones? Even Tilly had an ex that she remembered having strong feelings for at one point in her life and that turned out to be absolutely nothing but make believe. A pure fantasy at best. She wasn’t even sure that person she remembered even existed. What if this was just that all over again only somehow stronger and more wild?

   Before those thoughts could overwhelm her, Alice rolled slightly to the side, grabbing Robin by her shirt and pulling her down for a kiss, hoping to remind herself of what she knew was true with a passion no spell could recreate. Only it didn’t quite work as romantically as she imagined it would. Robin was taken by surprise and when their faces knocked against one another, it felt more like a physical assault rather than a sweet romantic gesture. Their lips collided but so did their teeth and noses, and then Robin lost her balance, falling to the side with Alice falling down with her so they ended up sprawled on the grass, very nearly kicking their feet into the open fire.

   “What the hell?!” Robin yelped, staring down at Alice as she pushed herself up onto her elbows.

   “Sorry,” Alice said remaining on the ground, she pressed her lips together but couldn’t fight the giggle that shook her shoulders lightly. “I was trying to be romantic and kiss you.”

   Robin frowned at her. “Well you didn’t do a very good job of it.”

   “I’m sorry,” Alice laughed, leaning up and kissing her cheek softly. “But just so we’re clear. Even if none of my memories are as real as I believe them to be. That doesn’t change anything. Least of all my love for you. Please, don’t doubt that.”

   Robin paused, then said slowly; “I don’t doubt it.”

   Grinning, Alice reached up and gently pulled Robin back down to lie on the ground. As soon as she was in place, Alice leaned over to kiss her again – properly this time – only for Robin to pull away at the last possible second, causing Alice to lose her balance and she found herself kissing the dirt where Robin had been instead. Sitting up sharply, she spat in disgust, wiping her lips on the back of her hand as Robin started laughing at the flustered expression on her face.

   “That was mean,” Alice pouted, sitting up.

   “Well you did just headbutt me.” Robin noted, still chuckling slightly.

   “Technically it was more of a lip-butt.” Alice grinned, reaching down for her hand.

   Unable to resist another urge to smile at her, Robin accepted the help and allowed Alice to pull her back up into a proper sitting position once more, crossing her legs to avoid the fire and returning to tying back the last few strands of her hair which had come lose during her fall. She tried to act like nothing had happened but every now and then Alice caught sight of her lips twitching as she did her best to hide the smile pulling at the corners of her face.

   It was adorable.

   Still grinning, her earlier worries temporarily pushed aside, Alice gave Robin a few quiet moments to herself and turned her attention back to her father. Killian still sat a little away from the girls. He’d disappeared for a few minutes while they were eating to have a shave and splash some water on his face, and still somehow managed the look of a man who had gone days without sleep. He was glaring down at the ground in front of his feet in silence, his food had hardly been touched and every now and then he let out a grumble and moved his lips like he was having an argument to himself for a few long minutes at a time.

   It didn’t take a genius to figure out what that was all about. He was obviously still worried about the reveal that her friend was the one and only Rumplestiltskin. It was hard for Alice to blame him. If his memories were unchanged, then that meant he remembered quite clearly how Rumplestiltskin had killed the woman he loved, crushing her heart in front of him before taking his hand and leaving him with nothing but Milah’s corpse. It wasn’t exactly something Alice liked to think about, but she simply reminded herself that it didn’t matter what he had done in the past. Rumplestiltskin was a good man who had saved her life more than once since her meeting him, let alone the fact that he had given up his own happiness in favour of her and Robin’s. As far as Alice was concerned, he had more than made up for all the bad things he had done in his long life, though she could also understand those that might disagree with her.

   Alice just hoped Killian would be one of the people who would understand that Rumplestiltskin was trying to make up for those things now. If he could forgive him for what he did to Milah, then Alice had no doubt that they would all be able to work together in order to bring Gothel down as a single unstoppable team. But if Killian couldn’t let go and put aside his hate for his old rival… Then what would they do?

   No. It was just like when Robin had doubted that Killian would join them after they first met. Sure, it seemed like he might not come with at first, but Alice knew him and in the end, she had been right. She knew he would do the right thing and be the hero to help them, just like how she knew right now that Killian would set aside his hatred for his old enemy in favour of his love for her. Then, before he knew it, they would have undone Gothel’s spell and he would remember why he had forgiven Rumplestiltskin in the first place.

   Yes, everything would be fine once they were all together again.

   Killian looked up and caught Alice’s eye. She smiled at him, and hoped he wouldn’t say anything. She knew they needed to address his issues with Rumplestiltskin sooner or later, but she would much rather do it later. _Much_ later. She’d already had to deal with Robin putting the idea of her having fake memories in her head, and that had left her feeling strangely exhausted and more than a little shaken. It would be nice to just have some rest and clear her mind before she had to explain all the extra details she had skipped out before.

   “Alice, we need to talk about your friend.” Killian said finally, his voice offering no room for debate.

   Or maybe not. Maybe today was just going to be one of those days. The kind that was one tiring event after another and she was just going to have to suck it up and face it.

   “I suppose it would be too much to ask you to just trust me…” Alice said quietly.

   “Alice.” Killian said firmly. “Your friend… How… Why do you think he will help us?” He asked finally, struggling to find the right words.

   “Because he’s my friend,” Alice said with a very ‘duh’ tone to her voice.

   “He’s no one’s friend!” Killian snapped sharply. He winced. He didn’t want to shout at her, but he was just so frustrated with how casually she was treating this whole sodding mess. How could she not understand how serious this was?

   “Uh, am I missing something?” Robin asked, glancing between the two suspiciously. “Or is this a daddy daughter thing? In which case, I might need to use the privy or something somewhere out of your way.”

   “Alice’s friend. Do you know who it is?” Killian asked sharply. He forced himself to push down his earlier guilt, not taking his narrowed gaze off of Alice even when speaking to Robin and leaving his daughter to feel oddly uncomfortable. Even when she was in trouble as a child or as Tilly, he had never looked at her in that way before.

   “Some guy named Weaver.” Robin said with a shrug.

   “Weaver?” Killian frowned.

   “That was his cursed name back in the other world. Sometimes I call him that without thinking.” She looked at Robin. “His real name is Rumplestiltskin.”

   “Wait, WHAT?!” Robin physically jumped to her feet and backed away like Alice had suddenly caught the plague.

   “You… You have memories of him in this world?” Alice said hesitantly, feeling both her father and her love now openly staring at her like she had grown a second head. She understood her father’s reaction to his name but Robin’s was a little more puzzling. What did she think he had done to her in this world? Since she knew he hadn’t done anything in the real one.

   “Alice…” Robin said slowly. “What do you think you know about that man?”

   “He’s my friend,” Alice said stubbornly, turning to look back at Killian. “And I know he’s done bad things in the past but he’s changed, papa. He’s a good man. He’s not the same as when he took Milah from you.”

   “What… Alice, what are you talking about?” Killian said, shaking his head.

   “It’s probably the memories from that other world she thinks she lived in.” Robin said quietly, watching Alice closely with a disturbingly frightened expression on her face.

   “How do you know Rumplestiltskin?” Alice said, turning to look up at her.

   “SHHH!” Robin and Killian hissed sharply.

   Alice looked around quickly over her shoulder but then realised they were both still staring at her and not at anything that might have managed to sneak up on them like she thought. “What?” She whispered nervously, still expecting some form of a threat to be causing them both to stand so suddenly on edge.

   “Don’t say his name!” Robin said sharply. “You’ll summon him right to us!”

   “Oh… I never thought of that!” Alice said with a bright – completely oblivious – smile. It had completely glossed over her mind that Rumplestiltskin could be summoned if you just said his name enough times. She should have done that sooner. It probably would have saved her a lot of trouble if she had the Dark One’s magic on her side from the very beginning. She took a short breath; “Rumple-”

   Robin cut her off by tackling her to the ground, knocking the wind from her lungs and covering her lips with her hand, just to be sure. And it wasn’t a playful or gentle tackle either, but a full on body blow that slammed them both to the ground and caused Alice to crack her head hard as she fell, with Robin landing on top of her and weighing her down for a few seconds of stunned shock. When she climbed off her, she sat on her knees by her side, using one hand to gag her and the other to keep one of her arms pinned down so she couldn’t easily push her off.

   “Do. Not. Say. His. Name!” Robin snarled, looking almost as hatefully angry as when she first saw Alice in this world.

   Alice slapped her hands away and pushed herself up. “Why? He can help us!” She snapped.

   “That man would never help us, Alice…” Killian said slowly. He had jumped to his feet when Robin tackled Alice down but forced himself not to step any closer, his fingers twitching by his side like he wanted to grab onto something and was barely resisting. His face was a mixture of fear and frustration as he looked down at his daughter, the paleness in his face made the shadows from the flames dancing on his skin all the more obvious and gave him an even more ominous look than before.

   “Papa, I know that you are probably still angry with what happened to Milah, but-” Alice began.

   “Why do you keep bringing up Milah? She has nothing to do with this! And how do you even know anything about her?” Killian demanded, shaking his head like he was trying to knock the confusion right off his shoulders.

   “I know about her because you’ve told me.” Alice said. “And she has everything to do with this. I mean, her death is the whole reason you hate Rump-” She caught herself as Robin moved to tackle her again, shrinking away. “I mean, Weaver!”

   “Milah has nothing to do with… Him.” Killian said slowly. “I mean, she was his ex wife, sure, but after she left him they never saw each other again. I mean he never bothered to come looking for her. Not even when she passed away.”

   Alice opened her mouth then stopped herself short, frowning at him. “How did Milah die, papa?” She asked finally.

   “It was an accident.” Killian said finally. “Not long after that man became the Dark One actually. She was wandering the ship during the night and heard a cry for help. She saw someone, a boy, in the water and tried to get to them to pull them aboard. In the end the water carried them both away into the night.” He went quiet, then added sorrowfully; “We found her body months later.”

   Alice frowned. “Rubbish.” Killian looked up and Alice saw the hurt in his eyes. “I mean, I’m sorry, papa, but that’s just rubbish. Milah didn’t die in some tragic accident trying to save some random kid in the water. I mean, what was a kid doing in the water in the middle of the ocean anyway?”

   “He’d obvious crashed his ship somewhere or been thrown overboard. I don’t know, I wasn’t there!” Killian said, looking annoyed at having to explain the details of his loves demise.

   “Well if you weren’t there, how do you know it all happened like that?” Alice challenged.

   “Because I…” Killian began to shout then stopped and frowned. “I… I can’t remember, alright. It was hundreds of years ago! I went to Neverland right after to try and deal with losing her and only returned shortly before you were born.”

   “You can’t remember because they’re fake memories.” Alice said quietly, then shook her head. “But none of that matters. Once we get Rum-”

   “NO!” Robin and Killian shouted.

   “Weaver then!” Alice snapped. “Once we get _Weaver_ back, we’ll be able to defeat Gothel once and for all and fix everything. We’ll put it right, the way it should be and all of this will be just another memory we laugh about back at Roni’s.”

   Killian went to say something else but Robin held up a hand and stopped him short. She shuffled slightly closer to Alice’s side and reached down, taking her hand and cradling it with a soft touch like she was afraid she might break if she held too tightly. In fact, her grip was so surprisingly gentle that Alice found herself shutting her mouth and paying completely attention to what it was she had to say.

   “Alice… Whatever you remember of this man from your fantasy world. It’s not who he really is.” Robin said carefully.

   “Yes, it is.” Alice insisted.

   “Alice. That man… He’s Gothel’s lapdog.” Robin said finally. “She sends him out to do the darkest of things that no one else is willing to do, even for her. And he does it all without question.”

   Alice was momentarily stunned into silence. She hesitated, then shook her head, frowning from Robin to Killian. “No… He wouldn’t work for her… He hates her…”

   “Alice, he just blew up an entire village not three weeks ago because they didn’t send your mother enough birthday gifts.” Robin said, squeezing her hand now. “The Dark One is Gothel’s most loyal servants. He does what she wants without question because he believes in her and her power completely. That’s why we all call him her Lapdog!”

   “NO!”

   Alice ripped her hands away and stood up, shaking her head. She was trembling all over, and had a sudden urge to start crying. Which was ridiculous when she really thought about it. She’d had the theory that Gothel would turn someone she cared about evil when she first escaped her castle, yet, after meeting Robin and Killian and finding them both relatively unchanged, she’d fooled herself into thinking it would be the same for Rumplestiltskin. She hadn’t even considered he might be the one turned evil. And even if he was somehow evil, she’d never considered Gothel would make Rumplestiltskin work for her. He hated her, almost as much as Alice and Killian hated her. But he was the powerful Dark One. Now it was being laid out in front of her, Alice realised how obvious a move it was for Gothel and knew she shouldn’t be surprised by it at all.

   And yet she still couldn’t believe it. It wasn’t possible. Rumplestiltskin’s hatred for Gothel was far too strong to be written out by a quick last minute spell. He was too powerful to be controlled like this, too stubborn to let anyone turn him into a ‘lapdog’. Alice would not believe that this could have happened. Robin and Killian had both avoided being turned into someone they weren’t despite their entire histories being rewritten. And despite everything that everyone else believed, Alice knew the truth: Rumplestiltskin was a good man. A good man with a pure heart. He wouldn’t be manipulated and used by Gothel like this. It just wasn’t possible. He’d come too far to be reunited with the woman he loved to let it all be ruined now by fake memories and a faux life.

   “No. You’re wrong.” Alice said coldly shaking her head and ducking to let her blonde hair hide her trembling expression. “You’re both wrong. He wouldn’t let that happen… And I’m going to prove it.”

   Killian and Robin weren’t expecting it, so they didn’t react when Alice took a few steps away from them. She wrapped her arms around herself for comfort before shaking her head and shouting quickly.

   “Rumplestiltskin! Rumplestiltskin! Rumple-”

   “NO!”

   “STOP!”

   “-Stiltskin!”

   “That’s my name, dearie.” Came a familiar high pitched sing-song voice. “Don’t wear it out.”

   There was a sharp, lingering silence.

   Slowly, Alice lift her head back up. Robin and Killian had both been moving towards her while she was shouting but now had frozen almost mid step. Robin was closest to her, one hand outstretched and inches from touching Alice’s shoulder, her face pale and petrified in a way that Alice had never seen before. And Killian wasn’t looking much better. He was stood stiff with his eyes locked firmly on Alice, but at the same time he wasn’t quite looking at her either. More like looking through her while his hook shook obviously under his sleeve.

   Alice swallowed. She knew, even without looking, she’d made a mistake. She let her emotions get the best of her. Her desire for everything to be as it was. She’d gotten Killian and Robin back. She wanted her other friend as well, and hadn’t listened to the voice of reason that had been repeating everything her love and father had already been saying to her and now...

   God… What had she done?

   She turned around. Rumplestiltskin was standing just behind her, halfway up a pair of trees, his back pressed against one and his feet against the other, perfectly balanced with his arms crossed over his chest and a cheerful smirk on his face. His skin was green tinged, but he wasn’t scaly, like Alice had expected him to be. He wore a dark green old fashioned Victorian style shirt under a brown leather vest to match the brown trousers that looked like they had been infused with his skin they were so tight. Over the top of his trousers were a pair of knee length darker brown leather boots with a series of long grey laces lining up either side of the thick material, and over the top of all of that was a coat that had the sleeves ripped off, similar to the one he wore when he and Alice had first met, except it was more dirty grey and faded white colours with the collar upturned around the lower part of his face. Otherwise, he looked almost exactly as Alice remembered, right down to the shortness of his grey hair and even the expression on his face was close to one he would have given her back in Hyperion Heights, if not their early days in the real Enchanted Forest.

   For a brief second, the hope fluttered back in Alice’s chest at his almost close-to-human appearance. Then, just as quickly, it died when he turned his gaze fully on her. At first glance his eyes seemed the same as his smirk – familiar and light hearted. But they weren’t. Not really. The light in his pupils, the light that had always been there for as long as she knew him, even when he fought through the darkness (maybe even especially then) was gone. Instead, it was replaced with something cold and frighteningly empty.

   “Hello, Alice.” He said, and his smile stretched, showing all his golden teeth, looking very Imp-Like again as he waved his fingers at her playfully. “Your mum says hi.”

  **To Be Continued...**

_Chapter Fifteen: The Dark One - Sneak Peek:_  
_Rumplestiltskin didn’t seem the least bit disturbed by Robin and Alice attempt at escape. He just smirked and continued to watch Killian, taking another step closer, almost skipping now with his hands in front of him, fiddling and flickering with excitement._  
_“Stay back, Crocodile.” Killian said quietly, holding the sword in front of him._  
_“Crocodile? Oh, haven’t heard that one before.” Rumplestiltskin laughed and Alice wasn’t sure if he was being sarcastic or not._  
_“It’s not working,” Robin hissed, her voice unsteady. Alice hated hearing her so unnerved like this, especially knowing it was all her fault._  
_Alice grabbed Robin’s hands, stopping her. “Go.” She said._  
_“What?” Robin blinked.  
_ _“Go!” Alice hissed. “You need to go now, before he turns on you. Take my papa, get away from here…” She hesitated. “I’m so sorry, Robin. I’ll find you again, I promise. I’ll get through to Rumplestiltskin and I will find you but for now… Run away.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Judging by the comments for the last few chapters, I know a lot of people were hoping/expecting for something a lil different for Rumple in this world but I had this planned from the very start. Ever since I saw One Single Tear and the way Gothel tried to get Rumple to work for her and he was adamant saying: "I don't serve anyone".
> 
> Please comment, tell me what you think of the chapter, tell me what you think is going to happen in the next chapter, tell me what you wish would happen, tell me how badly you wish we could have had a Alice-Robin Spinoff, just tell me something!  
> Thank you! ;) <3


	15. The Dark One

   “Now, time to come home.” Rumplestiltskin said, pushing off from the tree and jumping down to the ground. He landed lightly on his feet, yet his boots thudded loudly like a gunshot. The only other noise in that moment was the crackling of the fire still burning behind them, which, like his landing, sounded unnaturally loud in the otherwise silent area.

   Before he had the chance to do or say anything else to them, Robin reacted – more out of habit than anything. She grabbed her bow from her shoulder and spun an arrow out of her quiver and into place, drawing it back and directing the tip straight at Rumplestiltskin’s chest, all in less than a quick second. But despite how fast and naturally she moved, Alice was caught by surprise to see the tip of the arrow shivering almost as bad as her fathers hook. Robin – brave, smart, fast, _amazing_ Robin – was so afraid that she couldn’t even hold her bow still in her hands. The sight of it made Alice want to be violently sick. Even more than the thought of Rumplestiltskin being her enemy.

   Seeing Robin so shaken, unnerved Alice in a whole new way. It was like everything had just become all that more real and she could no longer tell herself this was a terrible long lasting nightmare. But despite the sickening worries that were quickly beginning to make her sweat, Alice knew she couldn’t just stand there and watch things play out. No. She had to do something. She had to get through to her friend and fix her stupid mistake before anything happened that all of them would quickly regret.

   Turning away from Robin and her father and refusing to look at either of them as she did, Alice took a small, tentative step towards Rumplestiltskin. She heard Robin make a slight hissing sound from the back of her throat but refused to react to it. Instead she forced herself to focus entirely on her old friend and him alone, taking another short step forward, gradually closing the distance between them. She swallowed back the intense fear that had her questioning every movement, and couldn’t help but wonder if her next move was just going to make things even worse for everyone.

   “Rumplestiltskin…” Alice said slowly, trying to sound calm as she searched for sign of her old friend in his dark expression. “You have to listen to me. None of this… None of this is real. It’s all made up. I mean by Gothel. She cast this spell-” She was cut off when Rumple waved at her. She fully expected to be hit with a smash of his dark magic but then realised he was just signing her to be quiet with a quick gesture.

   “Your mother’s already told me all about your newfound delusions, dearie.” Rumple said calmly, waving her off.

   There was something off about his voice. It was more like Weaver than it was Rumplestiltskin. There was definitely something high pitched and Imp-like in there as well but it was more like a slight echo in the back with the old detective having main control. If it weren’t for the continuous dark look in his eyes, Alice might have taken that as a good sign that the real him was inches away from breaking free, but for now, she refused to let herself be fooled. She had to treat him with all the cautious care of the unstable Dark One that she knew he could be.

   “They’re not delusions.” Alice pressed. “Gothel’s lying to you. She created this world. She created all of this to fit her own wants.”

   “Uh huh. Does this mean you’re not going to come quietly?” Rumplestiltskin asked, crossing his arms again and cocking his head at her in a way that was a mixture of both Weaver and Imp.

   “Please. Listen to me.” Alice begged. “You need to think. You’ve never let a curse control you before. You’ve always found a way to get out of it. You can do this. Just look at me. Remember the truth.” She took another step, reaching her hands towards him.

   “Alice,” Killian said sharply, finally finding his voice which was surprisingly steady. “Don’t get any closer.”

   “Be quiet, Pirate.” Rumple said lazily, not taking his golden flaked eyes off of Alice.

   “Remember,” Alice said, close enough to touch him now. “Remember me. Remember who you are. Remember your life… Remember Belle.”

   “Who’s Belle?” Rumple asked, a bored tone to his voice now.

   “Your true love.” Alice all but whispered.

   Rumplestiltskin paused to stare down at her, then laughed loudly, again sounding more Weaver like than any other version of himself. “Those are quite some delusions you have going through your head there.” He uncrossed his arms and took a step towards her, the laughter completely dying from his lips just as quickly as it had started. “But that’s enough. Play times over.”

   “Stay back!” Robin shrieked.

   With no further warning, she released her arrow. Alice wasn’t sure if she meant to or if her shaking fingers could no longer hold the bow string back but the end result was the same. The arrow shot through the air, brushing passed Alice and ruffling her hair slightly before Rumplestiltskin reached out a hand and caught it like a throwing ball. He twisted it around in his grip, frowning at it slightly like it was his first time seeing one before squeezing his fingers together and snapping the shaft in two splintering pieces as easily as a toothpick.

   He paused, staring at his hand before dusting his fingers against his palm. “You really shouldn’t have done that, dearie,” Rumplestiltskin said quietly.

   From there, Alice saw the very last thing she would have expected, even from an unpredictable land of magic such as this one.

   In silence, she watched as his already green tinged skin… Melted in on itself?

   It almost turned to liquid on his bone and was sucked inside to reveal a hidden layer of darker green scales underneath, just like that of his Enchanted Forest counterpart. His short hair grew out into messy curls and his eyes glazed over until they were completely yellow and snake like rather than just tinted. In a matter of seconds, he had both physically and mentally transformed, with the physical change being followed by a high pitched ear splitting laughter that died into a long lasting giggle.

   “RUN!” Alice heard Killian shout, not sounding nearly as surprised as she felt he should have.

   At the same time as Killian cried out, Robin was jumping forward, reaching for Alice’s arm to pull her away but she never got the chance. But because she could, Rumplestiltskin beat her to it. He stepped forward, closing the space between them and grabbing Alice’s elbow, spinning her around and wrapping an arm around her shoulders, squeezing until he was dangerously close to holding her by the throat. He giggled happily to himself as Robin came to a sharp stop in front of them, skidding slightly and snatching her hand away as if he had bitten her. She found herself frozen on the spot, looking like she wanted to take a step away from him but something was holding her in place.

   “Not so fast,” Rumplestiltskin giggled, waggling a finger at Robin like a naughty child.

   “Let her go!” Killian snapped.

   Her father, who had started to make his own break for it, stopped short once he saw Rumplestiltskin grab onto Alice. Now, with his daughter on the line, most of his earlier fear faded and he even dared to go so far as to draw his sword, taking a slow step towards him and pointing the weapon threateningly at the other man. It was bold of him, but even Alice could see he wasn’t prepared for a real fight. Not with the Dark One.

   “Oh, I don’t think so. Gothel wants her little girl to come home,” Rumplestiltskin said, swaying Alice slightly and pressing his chin against her temple, eyeing Killian closely. “Such a shame. Father and daughter, reunited at last. Only to be ripped apart again. So heart breaking. So painful! So terribly tragic.”

   “You hurt her and I’ll-” Killian began angrily.

   “ _I wouldn’t hurt her!_ ”

   Suddenly Alice paused in her struggle to break free. She turned her head as far as she could with his arm still wrapped around her to look up at him. It was only for a brief second, but Rumplestiltskin’s eyes seemed to flash back to their human appearance. The gold fading for just a moment before it returned so quickly, she might have thought she imagined it if she didn’t also feel a notably slacken in his grip around her shoulders at the same time.

   “I- I don’t know what… What Gothel’s done to you.” Alice gasped, trying to pull away and turn to look at him at the same time. “Why you’re like… Well, this. Whatever this is. But you can fight it… Come on, Weaver. Snap out of it!”

   But the flash in his eyes was long gone and he re-tightened his grip almost immediately. He wasn’t quite choking her at this point, but he was definitely getting close to it. One little slip and his arm would be tightly wound around her throat instead of her shoulders and at this point, Alice wasn’t sure what would happen then.

   “We’ll be leaving now,” Rumplestiltskin said lightly. “Or at least, Alice and I will, once I’ve dealt with you two.”

   “No! Don’t hurt them.” Alice gasped.

   Rumplestiltskin ignored her. “You see, Gothel just wants Alice back in one piece. But she didn’t specify what to do with the people aiding her. So for now… You two are all mine.” He grinned a wide toothy smile.

   At that moment he released her, but before Alice could take a step away from him, her body sank into the ground until she was waist deep in the earth. Alice yelped in surprise, putting her hands down and trying to push herself out of the hole but the earth had her half swallowed and tightened around her body and legs. It wasn’t letting her go no matter how much she struggled against it.

   Meanwhile, the Dark One walked around the top half of her body, moving towards where Robin and Killian were still hovering. There was a gap between the two of them, and he paused, glancing from one to the other, making a choice over which one he would attack first like it was a game of tag among friends.

   “No! Please!” Alice shouted. “Rumplestiltskin! Snap out of it! Wake up! Remember who you are! Remember your love! Remember your life! Wake up and stop before you do something you’ll regret! You’ll never be reunited with Belle if you hurt them! Please, listen to me!”

   But if he could even hear her, he certainly wasn’t paying attention. Instead he glanced back and forth one more time before his eyes settled on Killian. His smirk stretched, and he began giggling slightly, wiggling his fingers like an excited child who couldn’t wait to get his hands on a new toy.

   “I think I’ll start with you, Pirate.” He grinned.

   Killian tensed, swallowing hard and taking a small step back. “Robin…” He said quietly. “Get Alice and get out of here.”

   Robin only paused for a short second before she turned away and ran to Alice’s side. She made sure to give Rumplestiltskin a wide berth – not that he paid her any attention to her now that he had chosen Killian to be his victim – before grabbing Alice’s arm and trying to heave her up out of the ground with brute force. When that didn’t work, she dropped to her knees and began to scratch at the dirt around Alice’s body, trying to physically dig her out as fast as she could, all while Alice was pushing down on the ground, trying to kick her legs as if she were swimming but the earth had closed firmly around her and she could barely twitch her feet, much less kick them.

   In front of them, Rumplestiltskin didn’t seem the least bit disturbed by their attempt to escape. He just snickered to himself like it was a joke and continued to watch Killian, taking another step closer. He moved with taunting slowness, but every now and then, he almost seemed like he was skipping with his hands in front of him, fiddling and flickering with barely concealed excitement.

   “Stay back, Crocodile.” Killian said quietly, holding the sword high up in front of him even while he continued to look petrified.

   “Crocodile? Oh, haven’t heard that one before.” Rumplestiltskin laughed and Alice wasn’t sure if he was being sarcastic or not.

   “It’s not working,” Robin hissed, her voice was unsteady and cracking. Alice hated hearing her love and seeing her father so terrified like this, especially knowing this was all her fault. Why didn’t she just listen to them?!

   Alice grabbed Robin’s hands, stopping the digging which seemed to be making almost no difference. “Go.” She said.

   “What?” Robin blinked.

   “Go!” Alice hissed. “You need to go now, before he turns on you. Take my papa, get away from here…” She hesitated. “I’m so sorry, Robin. I’ll find you again, I promise. I’ll get through to Rumplestiltskin and I will find you but for now, please… Run away!”

   Robin blinked at her, then shook her head and began to continue to pull up the earth. “There is too much wrong with what you said that I don’t even know where to begin. So let’s just go with the fact that you’re a complete and utter idiot. That this is all your fault. That you probably deserve everything that’s happening to you right now,” she paused and looked Alice in the eye. “And that there’s no way in hell that I’m leaving you.”

   “Robin…” Alice said quietly. “He won’t kill me.”

   “Maybe not. But you seem pretty sure your mother wants you dead,” Robin argued. “And if he can get you back there, then he doesn’t need to be the one to kill you. Because she will.”

   “It’ll still give me time to escape.” Alice argued.

   “Stop fighting me on this. I’m not going anywhere and we’re just wasting time arguing about it!” Robin snapped.

   Alice hesitated, staring at her with wide, almost wounded puppy eyes, then silently returned to trying to pull herself out of the ground. If Robin wasn’t going to use the chance to get her and Alice’s father away from here, then Alice was going to have to work twice as fast in order to save them from themselves.

   At that moment, the Dark One was close enough for Killian to make the first lunge. He jumped forward at Rumplestiltskin, swinging his sword up and bringing it down hard where his shoulder had been, only to slice through the air where his enemy disappeared into a puff of black smoke. He stumbled slightly and paused, staring at the space in front of him when he heard the high pitched laughter at the same time as Alice’s warning cry.

   “Papa! Behind you!”

   Killian spun around to find the Imp standing there, much closer to him than he was before. Rumplestiltskin grinned at Killian. “Nice try,” he chuckled. “But sadly… Just a try, none the less.”

   “PAPA!” Alice shrieked as Rumplestiltskin waved a hand and Killian was thrown off his feet.

   “Oof!” Killian grunted as he hit the ground. He tried to push back up to his feet but when he placed his hands under him, they sunk as the earth turned into a muddy liquid that began to swallow him whole.

   “NO! PAPA!” Alice shrieked, fighting even harder to pull herself out of the ground but despite how desperately she and Robin worked, they seemed to be making no difference to it at all.

   Rumplestiltskin cackled loudly. “Bye, bye, Cap-e-tan!”

   “Robin! Do something! You have to help him!” Alice begged.

   Cursing, Robin jumped back up to her feet and ran over to where Killian’s face was close to disappearing underground with the rest of him, his arms and legs still pulling above every now and then, as much as they could in the sloppy mess of melted earth. She skidded to a stop, short of falling into the muck herself, and reached out, grabbing his shoulder and pulling hard. There was only a slight resistance before Robin was able to drag him coughing and heaving back out of the muck and onto the solid ground beside it.

   However that slight resistance was enough time for Rumplestiltskin to walk over and close the remaining distance between them. Alice, still trying to kick and struggling to break out of the ground, screamed in both fear and as a warning but it all fell on deaf ears. Robin was concentrating more on dragging Killian out that she didn’t notice the danger she was in until it was too late.

   Rumplestiltskin reached out a hand, curling his fingers in the air like he was grabbing an invisible object and squeezing tightly to it. Robin dropped Killian’s hand immediately and tried to gasp as the air was cut off at the same time as her body was lifted into the air. Her feet were left to dangle in the space beneath her as she struggled to break the magical hold on her life with pointless brute force. She clutched at her throat, her face turning red from effort while Rumplestiltskin continued to cackle up at her a few feet away, still treating the whole thing like a damn game that he was winning.

   Alice was still screaming out for her love when she felt a burst of something and was finally able to rip one of her feet out of the ground. She didn’t think twice about how, because once she had one leg free, she quickly pushed down until she managed to pull her other leg out with it. Alice clawed the rest of her way out of the hole, crawling forward just enough before she could safely jump to her feet and throw herself at Rumplestiltskin’s unprotected back.

   She caught him off guard, and he stumbled forward a step, releasing his hold on Robin in order to keep his balance instead. Robin dropped back to the ground, collapsing to the side as she gasped and took in long, desperate, ragged breaths of air, her whole body shaking and her face almost swollen as well as bright red. While Robin stumbled to her knees, Rumplestiltskin righted himself and let out an animal like snarl of annoyance, reaching back and grabbing Alice by her hair, dragging her away from him and holding her at arms length. Alice gasped, more in shock than pain, and found him glaring down at her violently.

   “Don’t interfere!” He roared down at her.

   “Well don’t make me then!” Alice snapped back, tears clouding her vision but she refused to back down or let them fall, glaring up at him instead. “Stop being so weak! Fight it-!”

   “I AM NOT WEAK!”

   He threw her to the ground, stepping over and lifting his hand into the air in front of him. A ball of fire appeared in on his palm and he made as if to throw it down on top of her face. Alice blinked away her tears, her shock over the fact that he was actually going to hurt her overwhelming everything else she was feeling and leaving her stunned. In fact, she was oddly numb from it. Automatically, she reached her arm up in a uselessly attempt to protect herself from his attack, all the while still staring up at him in more confusion than fear.

   Just then he hesitated. For seemingly no reason, he paused in his attack, staring down at her with some form of conflict spasming across his features. He didn’t appear to remember or truly recognise her for who she really was to him, but there was definitely something there. A something that was causing him to stall and Alice began to believe that it might be enough to make him stop his attack altogether. Maybe to even help them defeat Gothel after all.

   Before she could find out however, there was a sudden crashing sound as a set of horses and their carriage physically broke through the trees like the animals and carrier were both made of an impenetrable steel. The horses kept going even after breaking through the thick bark in front of them, ramming into the area and hitting Rumplestiltskin head on and hard. Even then they didn’t stop running. With huffs and whines of irritation, the horses kept on going, carrying The Dark One off into the nearest trees and crashing through those branches and tree trunks as well, ripping some of the roots out of the ground and hurrying on with the same impossible strength as before.

   Just before the carriage disappeared completely from view taking the horses and Rumplestiltskin along with it, a figure jumped from the back, landing lightly on their feet and standing tall in front of the others. Alice pushed herself into sitting position and looked up at their rescuer, taken by surprise by an incredibly familiar face. The two of them had spent a reasonable amount of time together when they were cursed back in the Heights, but even if this woman hadn’t employed her, Alice still would have recognised her straight off. After all, everyone knew who Queen Tiana was, even before the curse was cast and she was turned into a causal food truck owner.

   “Quickly! All of you! Follow me before he can recover!” Tiana shouted, charging in the opposite direction to where the Dark One was being carried off.

   Alice hesitated in her shock – everything was happening so fast it was making her head spin – but luckily Killian and Robin did not. While Killian hovered long enough to check his daughter was alright, Robin ran straight over, still wheezing for breath slightly as she grabbed onto Alice’s arm, hauling her back up onto her feet and dragging her along. With Tiana leading the way and Alice bringing up the rear, the small group rushed from the area that was no longer quite as secluded as it had been before. The sound of the horses still crashing through the trees could be heard in the distance and Alice allowed herself a single glance back. Despite everything that had just happened, Alice realised she was still somewhat reluctant to leave Rumplestiltskin behind so easily…

   But she knew she had no other choice. She was unable to reach through to him here. At least not right now. With that reluctant thought in mind, Alice turned to face forward and clung to Robin’s hand like her life depended on it, chasing after the group as quickly as her shaken legs could carry her.

   They stepped in direction of the river but Tiana surprised them by taking a sharp turn and leading them instead out to a stretch of space just outside the wooden area where a second horse and carriage was waiting for them. It looked almost identical to the one still running away with the Dark One. All apart from the fact that this carriage just had the one horse attached to its front and there was a lone man waiting at the ready for them, already snapping the horse’s reins to get them moving before their group had even reached him.

   “Get in! Quick! We won’t be able to outrun him if he manages to catch up with us!” Tiana snapped, leaping onto the carriage and grabbing a part of the door, climbing up the side like a spider until she was balanced on the roof. From there she crawled over the top, dropping down the front and landing on the seat beside the man still driving them onward.

   Killian leapt into the open doorway, sliding across the carriage floor slightly and almost falling out the other side before he caught himself in time. As soon as he was steady on his knees, he turned around, reaching back out again and grabbing onto Robin’s arm, pulling her inside after him. Robin tightened the hold she had on Alice and dragged her in with one swift tug just before the carriage and its horse truly got going. The door was swung shut behind them by force of the wind as they charged down the road and far away from the Dark One just seconds after Alice had squeezed herself inside it.

   The last they heard of her old friend was a second later when he let out a final angry roar a great way away from them. One that seemed to echo through the trees, sending birds flying into the sky, and leaving both Killian and Robin to shiver fearfully, thinking of what his rage would do to the innocence close by. But Alice wasn’t afraid.

   Alice climbed onto the back seat of the carriage and peeked past the velvet curtains, pressing close to the glass and looking as far as the closed window would allow her, watching the trees fade from her sight. Instead of being afraid, she just felt a hollow sadness filling her.

   _Rumplestiltskin..._ Alice thought silently. _What has she done to you?_

**O*U*A*T**

   “What were you thinking?” Killian demanded.

   They had been riding in an almost completely silence up until this point. Alice had spent most of the time staring out the window where they had abandoned Rumplestiltskin, feeling ill for far too many reasons to name. It was strange how numb and cold she was at the same time. Her encounter with her old friend had left her physically shaken and she was unsure what else to do but kneel in place, staring into the distance. Her father and love seemed to have settled into an agreement to let her have time to clear her thoughts at her own pace, but now that she had finally turned back around to face them, it seemed it was time to tear into her.

   “He’s my friend,” Alice said quietly, unsure of what else to say at this point.

   “NO!” Killian shouted, making Alice jump and she looked up to find him glaring at her in a way he had never done before. “NO, he’s not, Alice! He’s The Dark One! He’s Gothel’s Lapdog! He’s as evil as she is and if these people hadn’t saved us then who knows what would have happened back there!”

   Robin slipped off her seat and moved slightly to the side, settling down in the corner as far from father and daughter as she could get, giving them a moment. Alice still felt a little hollow, which was probably why she wasn’t reacting to her father’s shouting, or the way he looked so _furious_ with her. At least not as much as she would have any other time. It still hurt, but Alice just kept telling herself that he didn’t mean any of it. Once the spell was broken, he’d apologise like everyone else.

   Once she fixed things.

   “He’s my friend.” Alice repeated, still trying to find new words to explain herself.

   “HE’S THE DAMN DARK ONE!” Killian screamed, his voice making her jump and some her earlier assurance dwindled as she looked up at him.

   “He can be both…” Alice said softly. “If we can break the spell-”

   “THERE IS NO SPELL!”

   “Hey!” Tiana called, banging on the wall from her spot up front. “Everything alright back there? You maybe want to take a moment to calm down a bit?”

   Killian ignored her. He stood up, stepping as close to Alice as he dared, leaning against the side to keep from falling over as they began to ride over an even levelling. “Alice, listen to me. There is no spell. It’s not real. This world you think you come from? It’s fake. It’s all in your head. It’s just a delusion. A hallucination! A dream! All of it is. Make. Believe!” He took a sharp breath. “And I let you play along with it until now, because I wanted you to stay with me so I might get the chance to know you because you’re my daughter and that’s all I’ve ever wanted but your damn delusions nearly got us all killed back there and you _still don’t get it!_ ”

   Alice opened her mouth to argue with him but before she could, Robin spoke up; “He’s right.”

   “Robin…” Alice mumbled, turning slowly to look at her.

   “I’m not saying your delusions aren’t real. I mean we both know I don’t believe in them, but even if we pretend, for just a moment, that everything you are saying is real… You still nearly got us killed, Alice.” Robin said, purposely keeping her head turned away and not looking at her. “You nearly got yourself killed.”

   “I didn’t mean for anyone to get hurt.” Alice whispered, feeling more stunned now than when Rumplestiltskin had been about to harm her. “I just… I wanted my friend…”

   “And I understand that.” Robin said, still speaking like she was choosing each of her words carefully before saying them aloud. “I can understand wanting to be reunited with someone you care about. But even if we are all under a spell, in this world, those memories define us right now. So when we tell you that someone is evil and will hurt us if we ever meet up with them… You have to listen. Understand?” She finally looked up at her and Alice saw the conflicting emotions in her eyes. A mixture of pity and anger fighting for dominance. “Tell me you understand.” She commanded, purposely keeping her voice steady and neutral.

   “I… I understand.” Alice croaked, glancing from Robin to Killian, feeling drained and shocked … And guilty. She felt truly guilty for it, too. Because everything they were saying was right. She had almost killed the two people she loved most in the world and the only reasons Rumplestiltskin hadn’t succeeded was because of dumb luck. “I’m sorry.”

   With that, there was nothing left to be said. Alice tucked herself into the corner seat tightly, pulling her knees up and hugging them to her chest before lowering her face down and crying quietly. She tried to hide her tears but it wasn’t long before her shoulders began shaking uncontrollably and her breath came out ragged and broken. After a moment, she heard her father whispering softly to her – soothing words, though she couldn’t make out what it was he was saying over her own heavy breathing – and then she felt Robin’s familiar, albeit hesitant, arm rest over her shoulders. A little tense and uncomfortably, but at least she was there and Alice wasted no time, turning and curling up against her until she was all cried out and drifted to sleep in her loves arms for the rest of the journey.

**To Be Continued...**

_Chapter Sixteen: Reunited - Sneak Peek:_  
_Alice glanced up at her, feeling very intimated. This was the most people she recognised in one closed space together and yet only two of them didn’t hate her with a passion._  
_“That’s right.” Alice said finally, taking a deep breath and leaning forward. “Gothel cast this spell. And she changed things. None of it is meant to be this way and-”_  
_“She wants her gone.” Robin jumped in. “That’s all that matters.”_  
_“Wait, what do you mean a spell?” Tiana frowned._  
_“She means she cast a spell to put these delusions in Alice’s head.” Killian supplied. “And now she wants her gone, just like everyone else in this room.”_  
_“No. That’s not right.” Alice said sharply. “I’m not going to lie. Even if none of you believe me.”_  
_“Everyone except for Mother Gothel’s child, stop talking.” Tiana said, then turned back to Alice once more. “Full story. Tell it.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Intense. And fun to write! What do you think of mixed Dark One Rumple? Any theories as to why he is the way he is?
> 
> Please comment, tell me what you think of the chapter, tell me what you think is going to happen in the next chapter, tell me what you wish would happen, tell me you're still happy to read my story even if the chapters are slowing down (ps, so sorry!), just tell me something!  
> Thank you! ;) <3


	16. Reunited

   _“I see you have encountered my Imp.” Gothel said by way of greeting._

_As expected, they were back in her tower once again. Only this time, Alice arrived in the middle of its destruction rather than at the start, with the added bonus of it being like someone had hit pause on the remote at some point during its collapse. There were broken pieces of wood and stone that were frozen mid air, dust that was hovering like a fog in the space between them, and when Alice glanced outside, she saw that even the birds were stuck halfway through their flight, wings outstretched and tails twisted behind them as they had began to turn amongst the trees._

_After a moment of taking in her surroundings and with no idea what else to do, Alice numbly allowed herself to walk over to Gothel, taking a seat at the dinner table she used to eat her meals at alongside her papa. It was so many long years ago, it felt more like a dream than the actual dream she was currently in. Alice ignored the drink that Gothel pushed towards her and instead sat back in silence, watching Gothel take a slow sip from her own cup, sure she was being purposely loud about it. The self acclaimed ‘Empress’ was still smiling smugly at the younger woman, even when having her slow drink. It was obvious that she knew Alice was furious with her. She knew Alice was just dying to talk about it the second she found the right words to do so and until then, Gothel was content to wait patiently for her to lose the last of her control and emotionally explode._

_Well, Alice was not going to give her the satisfaction of doing any of that. She ignored the drink in front of her completely and purposely leaned as far back as she could manage and crossed her arms over her chest like a stubborn child. She also attempted to keep her expression as neutral as Robin’s been had back in the carriage just before she feel asleep, though she probably didn’t manage it nearly as convincingly as Robin had._

_“What have you done to him?” Alice asked finally, surprising herself by how level her voice was._

_“I gave him purpose.” Gothel explained. “You see, in this world, Rumplestiltskin lost his son despite all that effort to become the Dark One in order to save him. It left him very fragile and he sulked over it for many years in pathetic self pity.”_

_“He would never do that.” Alice said immediately. She was doing her very best to remain calm but Gothel’s words mixed in with her smug expression was pulling something out of Alice. Despite her best efforts, she found she was clenching her fists tightly under the table, trying to stop the rest of her body from visibly shaking._

_“He would in my world.” Gothel said proudly. “And during his long centuries of self pity… I found him. I gave him purpose. I gave him a reason to keep on living. So now he’s my most loyal servant.” Her smile stretched even wider. “I like the irony, even if he doesn’t remember it. You see, he once refused my help and told me he didn’t serve anyone. Now his whole goal in life is to serve me and me alone.”_

_Cracks were beginning to show in her expression and Alice was unable to fully hide her trembling rage any longer. “I hate you.” She hissed._

_“I really don’t care.” Gothel stated._

_“Then why are we even here?” Alice said, fighting a losing battle to keep herself calm. “Why do you keep bringing me here every time I fall asleep?! I’m not going to turn myself in! No matter what, I will stop you and I will defeat you! So why are you bothering with all of this?!”_

_“Maybe I just enjoy having chats with my daughter.” Gothel said with a mock sweetness._

_“I am tired of playing your games. So how about you just tell me the real reason once and for all?” Alice said, rubbing her face tiredly. Could you get tired in a dream?_

_“That’s my business.” Gothel said. “But for now. Let’s just say that I enjoy tormenting you while I recover the rest of my magic. And rest assured, Alice. I am recovering. Slowly, but surely, I will be back to my full powered self again and when I am… Well, this is my world after all. You can guess what comes next once I’m back at full strength.”_

_“You won’t win.” Alice insisted._

_“Don’t you have anything else you want to say?” Gothel asked with another sip from her cup._

_Alice hesitated. “Rumplestiltskin…” She began slowly._

_“If not for your interest in the witch’s daughter, I might have thought you had a crush on the Dark One.” Gothel sneered, rolling her eyes dramatically. “Is there nothing else you want to discuss while you have the chance? As much fun as it is playing with him, he’s not actually very interesting to me.”_

_“Rumplestiltskin…” Alice repeated, ignoring her interruption. “He started off almost like he was still Weaver somehow… But then he… He changed… How? Why? How does that suit your needs?”_

_“An unfortunate accident. Sadly even that spell, with all the power I put into it, has its limit, like everything does. If I could, I would have made sure you were just a peasant girl that no one knew.” Gothel said, her earlier calm broken by a momentary irritation._

_“So you don’t have completely control,” Alice said, a slight excitement building inside her. “I can still reach him-”_

_“Rumplestiltskin is mine. He may have some unfortunate side effects which leave him jumping back and forth between his two personalities, but all versions are still firmly loyal to me. He still works for me and he will kill your father and your lover on sight should I tell him to. And then he will bring you back to me.” Gothel added with a half smile. “But by all means. Try and get through to him again. I would so love to see your face when he throws you at my feet after slaughtering everyone you love. It would be even more wonderfully ironic than just having him work for me.”_

_“I’ll get through to him.” Alice said, but the numb feeling was returning now. She tried not to show it but Gothel’s smirk was spreading and Alice had to fight the urge to start crying in front of her. “I’ll save him. I’ll save everyone.”_

_“You’re not a hero, Alice. You’re not a leading lady. You’re a side character at best with a minor story to play out in between the others. You just happen to get lucky to remember the other world, but you’re not going to save everyone. Not now or any other day soon.” Gothel said, standing and brushing herself down. “The only thing you can do is put off the inevitable, and the longer you do that, the more painful it will be when things finally come to an end.”_

_Suddenly some pressed the play button and everything around her dropped all at once at the same time as Gothel disappeared. A large piece of wall had only just broken away from the wall by Alice’s head and dropped down on top of her when-_

**O*U*A*T**

   “Rise and shine!”

   Tiana’s voice rang out at the same time as she pulled open the doors and allowed a burst of dull morning sunlight in and atop of them. It wasn’t much, yet it was still almost blinding, even for Killian, who was the only one who had been unable to sleep during their long trip during the night, and had instead spent his time watching the girls and finding himself lost in thought. He considered everything that had happened to lead him to be sitting in this carriage with the two girls instead of back on his ship with his crew. One minute he was the Captain of the one and only Jolly Roger, and the next he was… Actually Killian wasn’t sure what he was now. Except the father to an incredibly troubled young woman.

   And then there was the issue with the girls themselves. Despite Robin’s reluctance around Alice when she was awake, it seemed like she was a different person when she was sleeping. Not long after Alice had drifted off, so had Robin and she had done so with her arms wrapped around Alice, holding her close and cuddling her for the whole of her slumber. Even with Tiana’s loud entrance waking her up, she still found herself holding onto Alice for a little longer as she blinked through the last few seconds of sleep away and her morning thoughts caught up with her.

   When she finally cleared away the last grains of sleep clinging to her eyelashes, Robin realised what she was doing and blushed. While Alice was still yawning to herself, Robin slipped out of her arms as subtly as she could manage, standing up and straightening her clothes with forced casualty. She didn’t bother looking back at Alice or Killian before she climbed from the carriage’s open doorway quickly. Tiana turned after her, grabbing her arm and pulling her aside for a private chat, and for a moment it was just Alice and her father left behind.

   Alice realised it was their first time actually being alone together…

   When she glanced up and caught his eye, Killian quickly looked away, rubbing her face with both hands and wishing he had gotten some sleep after all. Meanwhile, Alice was suddenly very wide awake. Gothel’s taunts and her warning still running through her mind as well as the slight shame from having pushing her father into shouting at her the night before. After all, she knew it was her fault.

   “Alice…” Killian said finally, breaking the silence. “I’m sorry for shouting at you like that…”

   “It’s okay.” Alice mumbled.

   “No. It’s not. I was out of line but… I’m sorry. I was just so afraid. For all of us.” Killian explained. “You have to understand, the Dark One is as evil as Gothel if not even worse. He’s unpredictable and dangerous and you can’t ever summon him again.”

   Alice wasn’t sure if it was a bitter irritation at no one believing her story of the real world, or tiredness from having Gothel invading her mind every time she went to sleep, or even if it was just the general misery over her good friend now being a dangerous enemy and the way her papa was talking about him like he really was just a monster… But no matter what the reason, Alice couldn’t deal with her papa’s lectures right now. Which was depressing considering she once would have loved to have him around enough to lecture her.

   “I already told Robin I understood.” Alice said tightly. “And I really don’t want to talk about this anymore, papa.”

   “Alice… I’m sorry.” Killian said quietly.

   “I know, papa.” Alice said, standing and walking towards the door. “And once I’ve undone Gothel’s spell, you’ll understand why you’re really sorry.”

   Before he could say anything else, Alice stepped outside and left him alone in the carriage. She was surprised that she didn’t feel bad about the sad face he had as he watched her go. She loved her father more than anything but she was suffering much more than him and she looked forward to correcting everything and for a proper apology once she had.

   For now, she still had a way to go before that would happen and she glanced around the open area where they had been dropped off. It was in the middle of a campsite that had a very strong familiar feeling to it. There were tents built up on either side and a large fire in the centre with just a few people wandering around between them, most of which didn’t even glance their way as they wandered past with various objects in their arms…

   Or at least, they didn’t until the first person caught sight of her. Then it was like a domino affect.

   By now, she should have expected the same kind of reaction from everyone she was going to meet, but she found she was still taken by surprise when half a dozen people dropped everything in their hands and the other half made a dive for the nearest form of shelter. There weren’t nearly as many people as there had been all the other times this had happened, yet there still seemed to be plenty of them as they each stopped to openly stare at her, their faces going pale with fear, their eyes wide and their mouths hanging open comically as they stumbled on the spot.

   And at this point, Alice was too tired to even care anymore. Without wasting any time with the people still staring at her in shock and fear, she started walking over to where Robin was talking to Tiana and the man that saved them. There was clearly something wrong and normally Alice would have given them some privacy until she was invited to join them, but normal had been thrown out the window days ago.

   They weren’t far away from her, but Alice hadn’t taken very many steps when someone appeared by her side and stepped out in front of her, forcing her to come a sharp stop. He was big bulky looking man that dwarfed her in both height and width with dark hair and equally dark eyes that glared down at her. He had a look that was a mix of pure disgust and excited anger and Alice was startled into taking a step back. No one, apart from Robin and Black Beard, had ever approached her before. Everyone else ran for it, and even Black Beard had approached because he thought he was on her side in some way. This man did not look interested in being on her side at all…

   “Um… Excuse me?” Alice said quietly, moving to walk around only for him to swing an axe in her way, barely missing cutting off the tip of her nose.

   “You’re not going anywhere you little bitch.” The man snarled.

   “Tie her up!” Someone suddenly shouted.

   “No! Kill her now! Before her mother can use her to find us!” Someone else called.

   “Sounds like a plan to me.” The man in front of her grinned, lifting his axe into the air over her.

   Alice, panicked, stumbled back only to trip up off her feet, hitting the ground and holding her hands up uselessly to protect herself.

   “STOP!”

   Tiana stepped in the way of Alice attacker at the same time as Robin appeared behind her, grabbing Alice’s arm and dragging her back onto her feet away from the axe-man.

   “My Queen!” The big man yelped. “This is-”

   “I know who this is Jack.” Tiana said coldly. “And I also know that there is apparently more to this story than we know of. So until I say so, no one is to harm the young Mistress Alice.” She raised her voice, speaking to everyone now and turning slowly to look at them all as she did. “And I mean no one.”

   “Robin?” Alice croaked, looking around wildly, since it turned out it wasn’t just Jack. Almost everyone here was dangerously close to her and they each had a weapon clenched in their hand. “What’s happening? Where are we?”

   “We’re at the Rebellion campsite-” Was as far as she got.

   “Robin…?!”

   “ROBIN!”

   Robin’s head snapped up and her eyes widened. “Aunt Regina! Mum!” She cried, dashing away from Alice without pause.

   Alice turned to look after her – her own surprise keeping her from being hurt by the sudden abandonment – and saw Regina and Zelena striding over towards them in a rush. Zelena reached down and pulled Robin into her arms as Regina quickly followed, pulling them both against her as the three women embraced one another tightly. They clung on in a way that Alice only wished she could do with her own father.

   “I though Gothel had you!” Robin gasped, pulling away just enough to look up at her mother beaming face.

   “She nearly did,” Zelena laughed, tears filling her eyes as she stroked her daughter’s hair fondly. “But Regina showed up for a visit in time to save me. And you’d already run off on that little hunt of yours. I knew you’d be safe but I’ve still been so worried ever since. We’ve been looking for you almost every spare second we had.” She cradled her face. “We went to all the usual meeting spots but you weren’t at any of them! Where have you been?!”

   Robin’s smile faltered slightly. She turned away and glanced back to where Alice was still left standing just behind of Tiana. The big man – Jack – had walked away as instructed, but not by far and everyone else seemed caught between either smiling at Robin or glaring at Alice.

   “What the hell is she doing here?!” Regina shouted, wasting no time to create a ball of fire in her hand as she pulled it back and took aim for Alice’s face, even with Tiana still standing by her side.

   “Aunt Regina! Wait!” Robin cried, stepping in the way. “It’s not what you think! Alice isn’t here to hurt us. She wants to help take Gothel down!”

   “What a load of nonsense!” Regina snapped.

   “Robin, get behind me.” Zelena said, grabbing for her daughter and trying to pull her out of the way.

   “Mum! Stop! Listen to me!” Robin snapped, struggling against her.

   “Get behind me, right now!”

   “Hold up, ladies.” Tiana said, moving so she was standing directly in front of Alice. “Now I don’t know quite what’s happening. But we’re not making any rash decisions over this.”

   “You’re going to let that monster walk free?!” Regina demanded.

   “Watch what you say, love.” Killian said coldly, rushing from the carriage. He had been lingering inside and probably would have stayed there until someone collected him, had he not heard the loud commotion happening outside, centred around Alice. “That’s my daughter you’re talking about.”

   “Who the hell are you?” Zelena demanded.

   “She’s you’re _what_?” Regina yelped at the same time.

   “Mum! Enough!” Robin cried, still tugging on her arm to break free.

   “Everyone calm down!” Tiana snapped. “I won’t tell you again!” She waited but when no one else cried out, she nodded her approval at them. “Now then… Jack, Regina, Zelena, Naveen and you newcomers. With me. We’ll discuss the rest of this in private in my tent. Everyone else, back to work, all of you! There is far too much to be done for you to just be standing around and watching like this.” When they hesitated, she sighed and clapped her hands at them. “I promise you, I will protect you all. Trust your Queen and do as you are told.”

   That finally got the people moving again, although it was clear they were reluctant to do so and none of them completely took their eyes off of Alice if they could help it.

   At Tiana’s final clap, Regina and Zelena both grabbed Robin by her arms and began prodding and pushing her in direction of the largest tent set up on the edge of the campsite. Jack and the man who had helped rescue them hovered to the side, watching Alice until Tiana snapped her fingers waved them impatiently ahead of her. After they finally turned their back on them, Killian took a few cautious steps forward as well, pausing and glancing back at Alice with a worried expression before his face turned cold and her looked back towards Tiana.

   With a new determination building inside him, Killian walked over to her, making sure to keep a certain amount of space between him and Alice before he came to a stop, standing just a few inches taller than the other woman. Yet she still managed to make herself seem larger in comparison with just the commanding expression on her face. “I wanted to thank you for saving us.” He paused, then added quietly. “But no harm better come to Alice while we are here.”

   “I won’t let anyone harm her. Not without reason at least.” Tiana replied, in an equally cold tone.

   Alice felt herself tense, just wondering what kind of reason she was talking about here. She felt a desperate desire to cling onto her papa for imaginary protection but also knew she couldn’t risk it. And yet she still needed something… Glancing around at her feet, Alice caught sight and reached down for a nearby stick. She held onto it, wandering over and waiting for her father to notice before she held it out to him.

   “What’s that?” Killian frowned.

   “It’s the closest I can get to holding your hand.” She answered softly.

   Killian flinched and suddenly looked torn between smiling at her and crying. When he took the other end of the stick, he squeezed it tightly so that a few brittle flakes fell off before he silently led her towards the tent after the others. It was made of a thick green material and the man who helped save them, Naveen, was waiting for them, holding open the flap and allowing the two to duck in, one after the other, still holding the stick between them the whole time. They ignored the odd looks they received when the others noticed their stick before they were quickly followed by the last two members of the uncomfortably tense group.

   Alice and Killian were greeted with an incredibly out of place round table that was taking up almost the entire space inside. Alice briefly wondered if Tiana had a second tent for sleeping but she didn’t have much time to consider it as everyone else had already taken their place, watching her closely with none too friendly faces. The only somewhat friendly gaze was that of Robin, who had been squished down between her mother and her aunt all the way on the other end of the table. She looked embarrassed and guilty when she finally caught Alice’s eye but before they could say anything – what was there to even say? – Tiana waved a hand at them to take their seats. Everyone else had pulled themselves as far away from Alice as they could manage but she didn’t care. Not about most of them at least.

   Even after she had sat down in her own chair by the tent entrance, Alice clung to the stick between her and her father and wished more than anything that it could have been his real hand instead. Hell, even his hook would have been better than this and she briefly wondered if that would count as touching him… But she also knew that now wasn’t the time to be experimenting with those kinds of loopholes.

   “Now does someone want to explain to me why that little bitch is sitting across from us, untied and un-caged?” Regina snarled, glaring at Alice.

   “Back off, witch.” Killian hissed.

   “Enough, you two!” Tiana shouted, standing from her seat and looming over them. Finally she turned her eyes to Alice. “Now then… Robin tells me that you have turned against your mother...”

   Alice glanced up at her. Even when she wasn’t being purposely threatening, Tiana still came across as one of the most menacing people here, staring at her with eyes that suggested she was as close to lashing out at her as anyone but was only holding back because it wouldn’t be royal of her to do so. That, along with the way every else was still looking at her, left Alice feeling more than a little intimated. This was the most people she recognised in one closed space together and yet only two of them didn’t violently hate her.

   “That’s right.” Alice said finally, taking a deep breath and leaning forward onto the table. “Nothing is how you all think it should be. You see, Gothel cast this spell on the world and she changed everything. None of it is meant to be this way and-”

   “She wants her gone.” Robin jumped in loudly. “That’s all that matters.”

   “Wait, what do you mean a spell?” Tiana frowned. “What spell did Gothel cast?”

   “She means she cast a spell to put these delusions in Alice’s head.” Killian supplied just as quickly as Robin. “And now she wants her gone, just like everyone else in this room.”

   “No. That’s not right.” Alice said sharply. “I’m not going to lie. Even if it means none of you believe me.”

   “Everyone except for Mother Gothel’s child – stop talking.” Tiana said, then turned back to Alice once more. “I want the full story. Now.”

   So she did.

   She got a pretty standard response.

   “So… She’s crazy?” Naveen said after a lingering pause.

   “Bonkers.” Jack sneered.

   “Oh please. Can’t you see? She’s just tricking us. She has everyone fooled that she’s a crazy little girl and she’s going to stab us all in the back the second we let our guard down.” Regina hissed.

   “I say we lock her up, now.” Zelena said, putting her arms protectively around Robin like she was shielding her from the evil in the world. Her entire demeanour had certainly changed from when they met back on Alice’s first day in this world. Guess she was done playing the role of meek and mild follower of Gothel now that the cat was out of the bag about her magic.

   “If I have to quiet you people down one more time…” Tiana warned, the room silencing almost immediately under her sharp tone. She turned back to Alice. “Do you expect us to-”

   “No, I don’t expect you to believe me. That much has been made pretty clear by now.” Alice grumbled. “But it’s still the truth. I don’t know what else you want me to say.”

   “If you don’t expect us to believe you… Then why are you here?” Tiana frowned.

   Alice frowned back at her and shrugged. “You kind of brought me here.”

   “I mean, why are you still here then? Why not make a break for it as soon as we came to a stop?” Tiana asked.

   “Well I didn’t know what I was walking into.” Alice mumbled. “And I wasn’t going anywhere without my papa and Robin.”

   “What do you want with Robin?” Zelena interrupted sharply.

   The one thing Alice chose to leave out of her story this time was that she was madly in love with Robin. There was something awkward about explaining to Robin’s family that they were true love’s in the real world while they all hated her as strongly as they did.

   “She’s… A friend of mine back in the real world.” Alice said, blushing slightly under the lie. The first real lie she had intentionally told to her old friends.

   “I’ve been helping her.” Robin said, pushing her mother’s arms off her and standing up. “We’ve been travelling together since Gothel tried to capture you. And we’ve been working together to find others so we could defeat Gothel once and for all. It’s like I always told you mum. We can beat her! And Alice wants to help us now!”

   “How can you believe her?!” Zelena demanded, standing to stare her daughter in the eyes. “She’s a manipulative liar, just like her mother.”

   “No.” Robin said, then hesitated, shaking her head. “I… I trust her.”

   Alice’s face split into a happy smile at those three short sweet words. However the look didn’t last when Regina turned her way again.

   “What spell has your mother cast on my niece you little-”

   “Talk to my daughter like that one more time!” Killian snapped, finally releasing his end of the stick in order to slam both his hands down on the table.

   “E-NOUGH!” Tiana shouted. “I can’t believe we get a few surprise visitors and you lot turn into children! You will listen to me, and you will stop fighting or I’ll starting treating you as such! The next person to shout out without permission will leave without any more warnings.”

   “I don’t understand. Why are you trusting her?” Jack demanded. “Even for a second, why risk having her here at all?!”

   Tiana sighed. “Look. I heard the trouble while Naveen and I were out getting supplies. It was The Dark One. He was attacking them. All of them. Including the girl…”

   “And you faced him?” Zelena gawped.

   “Uh… Sort of…” Naveen said shyly.

   “What does that mean?” Regina frowned.

   “We had to sacrifice a carriage and two of the horses you bewitched.” Tiana explained.

   “What?! Those spells weren’t easy! And you just threw them away for Mother Gothel’s bastard?!” Regina yelped.

   “And you’re daughter.” Alice said bitterly. She hated having Regina, who was normally so kind to her, acting as bad as everyone else.

   At the very least Alice could console that it wasn’t as bad as having Robin treating her that way as well.

   “Shut it.” Regina snapped.

   Killian slammed nosily to his feet, losing what little patients he had left. At the same time, Jack moved as well, putting himself between the pirate and the witches as Regina pushed herself up, creating another fire ball in her hand and pulling it back, at the ready. Robin shrank away as Jack drew his axe and everyone in the room tensed as they prepared to break out into an all out brawl. Meanwhile Tiana let out a loud groan and rolled her eyes at them like this type of thing happened all the time. She calmly turned to face Naveen, still hovering by the exit.

   “Take Gothel’s daughter to your tent and stand guard there while I deal with the rest of this.” Tiana commanded, waving at the oblivious mess in front of her.

   As if looking for an excuse to leave, Naveen hurried towards Alice before his Queen had even finished instructing him to do so. As he caught sight of him in the corner of his eye, Killian instinctively moved to stand in his way, glaring at him in a way only a violent pirate could. Naveen was forced to come to a stop but just held his hands up, showing he meant no harm.

   “I’m just gonna get her away from… Well… This.” He nodded towards where Regina still had the fire balanced on her palm and was currently snapping at Robin to be quiet as her niece attempted to pull her back down to her seat.

   “Fine, but I’m not letting her out of my sight.” Killian said tensely. “I’m coming with.”

   “Can I get just one person who does as their told?” Tiana demanded. “You are not going anywhere. Not only do we not know or trust you any more than we do Gothel’s child, but I also need you and Robin to tell us exactly what happened back there. No one will hurt Gothel’s daughter with Naveen by her side. Even if I wanted to let anyone – which I don’t – I wouldn’t be foolish enough to risk Gothel’s wrath without a follow up plan. She’ll be safe with Naveen looking out for her.”

   Killian looked like he might try to argue further but before he could, Alice stepped around him. “It’s fine, papa. I understand. Everyone’s just scared because of the fake memories but it’ll be okay.” She looked at Tiana and smiled. “We can trust her.” Tiana frowned but said nothing.

   “Are you sure, love?” Killian asked slowly.

   “Yes. Just… Yeah.” Alice said, stopping short when she reminded herself that it was pointless to ask her father to tell these people the truth about the spell for her, considering even he didn’t even believe it yet. “It’ll be fine.”

   “This way,” Naveen instructed.

   Despite her assurances to her father, Alice was still feeling a slight reluctance to leave his side. She stopped in the entrance and cast a quick glance over to where Robin was still surrounded by her family. The arguing had finally stopped and now Regina and Zelena were free to continue glaring at her in silence, but Robin’s expression was more hesitant and unsure. Then she offered Alice the smallest smile and a short nod to follow. It was all the encouragement that Alice needed and she let herself relax enough to smile back, turning away just as Zelena’s expression became confused.

   Naveen held the tent flap open for her once more and Alice ducked outside, quickly greeted with the same sight as before: a group of people hovering around and staring at her in none too positive ways. Some were looking angry, while some were looking frightened, but nearly all of them were obviously unsure how to react to her presence and waited impatiently as Naveen stepped out behind her. She didn’t see what he did behind her back, but whatever it was, it worked and her little audience all grudgingly moved on with their separate tasks.

   “This way,” Naveen instructed.

   He waved a hand and began to guide her through the campsite. The fact that he walked just a step behind her so she never left his sight did not go unnoticed, but Alice was too tired to care about their distrust at this point. These last few days had been a rush, but no more so than the last few hours. Between fighting Drizella, to summoning Rumplestiltskin only for him to try and kill the people she cared for, to then being rescued by Tiana, reunited with Robin’s family and now being held prisoner by her old friends, all while they decided whether or not they could trust her… Alice was just ready for this day to end, even though it was technically still morning.

   This wasn’t even touching on the fact that her sleep wasn’t even a safe place for her anymore. Not with Gothel invading her dreams practically every time she shut her eyes.

   “You really think they’re going to believe that spell nonsense?” Naveen asked suddenly.

   “I’m too tired to fight about this,” Alice mumbled. “But it’s not nonsense. It’s the truth. And once I’ve fixed it, you’ll all remember it is.”

   “Sure, alright,” Naveen smirked, then stopped outside an unremarkable dark green tent, once again holding the flat open for her. “Go on,” He said.

   Alice stepped inside and paused in the middle of the entrance. The tent was quite spacious with a fold away bed pressed towards the back and an open space in the middle that seemed almost wasted. There was a thick chest with a black bulky padlock keeping it firmly shut and a pair of chairs sat around a small wooden table opposite that held a couple of empty cups on the surface. They looked startling like the ones Gothel had shared with her in her dreams and Alice cringed, turning away from them and looking around the rest of the room instead. Apart from another box that was open and full of thick dusty books, there wasn’t very much in this tent, not including the red rug that had been spread out on top of the grass, stretching from the tent entrance to the bed opposite.

   “Take a seat,” Naveen said with a forced tight smile. “The _rightful_ Queen will be with you shortly.”

   Alice didn’t respond, ignoring the chairs and walking straight over to the books piled inside the second box and pushed to the side, out of the way of the rest of the space. Naveen tensed at her sudden change of direction and took a sharp step forwards but didn’t seem sure on whether or not to actually stop her. He glanced around, like someone would appear and tell him what to do, then seemed to decide it was okay and retook his step back, standing in front of the entrance of the tent once more. With nothing else to do, he was left to watch closely as Alice took a seat on the floor and began to go through the books one at a time.

   They were a lot more helpful than the books in Gothel’s castle had been. These ones had actual information in them rather than fake stories and tales of endless fiction. All the books had the same dark leather binding around them, reds and browns with paper that felt crisp and delicate against her fingers and she automatically found herself handling each of them with extreme care as she began to go through the box and place the books in two separate piles based on how useless she thought they would be for her. It didn’t take Alice long to find one specifically about Mother Gothel.

   “Is this accurate?” Alice asked, sitting cross legged on the floor and opening the book in her lap. It was titled; An Empress’ Rise. A little corny but then nothing about Gothel was subtle.

   “The most accurate one we’ve yet to find.” Naveen said with a slight frown. “But there’s nothing in there you don’t already know.”

   “You’d be surprised,” Alice snorted, then turned to the first page and began to read. If nothing else, she could at least use this time to see if there was anything worth note in Gothel’s changed world.

~

**Mother Gothel’s takeover was so subtle and fast, that none could say for sure when her rein actually started. The Enchanted Forest had always had a variety of leaders, all of whom ruled their separate Kingdoms in a somewhat peace with one another. But that all changed once Gothel begun to make herself known, visiting one land at a time, dethroning the royalty that was in her way making point of having them and their families bow down to her in front of all their people. And those that didn’t bow were quickly replaced with those that would.**

**Her magic was incredible. She had power that none of the other kingdoms sorcerers could match. Even when the faeries attempted to stand against her, she defeated them with such ease that it didn’t seem possible even to those who witnessed the battle firsthand** (Alice snorted, _probably because it didn’t actually happen_ ). **After she had the faeries on her side – taking over their supply of fairy dust early on into her conquer – there was little hope for any of their kind to resist. The dwarves fell in line next, what with the dust supply now cut off from them, and with an army of men who weld weapons that could cut through diamond, her conquer was all but assured.**

**With the dwarves and faeries on her side, the Empress then took a break from the human world and moved on to take control of the ogres. There were not many ogres left in the open but somehow the Empress found those in hiding and managed to defeat them all a matter of days. From that point, it was a simple task for her to travel from one land to the next, defeating all those in her way. She rewarded those who quickly proved loyal to her greatly, enough that she wasn’t so simply a terrorising tyrant, which was what made her takeover that much more successful.**

~

   Alice paused, frowning down at the book and skimming through the pages. A lot of this book held the names of conquered kingdoms that Alice had never even heard of and because of that, it was hard to keep her attention focused on any of them. She knew they were real people with cursed memories, but at the moment they meant nothing to her. It wasn’t like she could help them other than freeing them from Gothel’s spell. The people that were dead probably died in other ways in the real world and those alive were safe so long as Gothel’s attention remained on Alice.

   She flicked through the next couple of pages, skimming the odd paragraphs at random and quickly, skipping a lot of unnecessary detail until she spotted something familiar that gave her pause. Something that made her blood run cold with nerves and she suddenly wasn’t sure if she wanted to read about it or not.

   It was about Rumplestiltskin.

~

**Mother Gothel was still cementing her claim on the kingdoms when she found her greatest weapon of all. While she had almost conquered the entire land, she was still making sure that there would be no sudden uprisings on her and her power the moment she lowered her defences. During this time, she was still recruiting powerful allies and servants to do her bidding and steadily continued to build her power with every battle won. It was during her long search for more powerful objects to use that she found The Dark One.**

   (According to the book, everyone knew the story of The Dark One. But it was nice enough to brief her on it anyway.)

**Rumplestiltskin was once a simple weaver who went to fight against the ogres during the original war hundreds of years prior to the Empress’ rise to power. But after a short time of service, Rumplestiltskin purposely injured himself in order to be dismissed, forever branding himself as a coward like that of his father. He had a son and a wife, but his wife disappeared shortly after while son was still a young boy, never to be seen or heard from again.** (That was all pretty standard to what Alice already knew to be true, at least.)

**But then the same ogre war called for Rumplestiltskin’s son to join the fight** (Baelfire remained unnamed) **. In a desperate attempt to protect him, Rumplestiltskin sought The Dark One dagger for the power to fight both the ogres and the guards threatening to take him away. He succeeded in his plan, returning home after defeating the original Dark One and taking his power for his own, only to discover that his son had already been taken to the front during his absence. He rushed to the war zone, but in the end he was too late to save him. His son was killed just moments before his arrival.**

**After this, during a powerful rage, he ended the ogre’s war and drove them to near extinction in a matter of hours before he finally ceased his attacks. Afterwards, he followed his anger with a long depression. Returning to his home, he hid away from the world for centuries at a time. He only ever used his magic after this point in order to kill anyone who came near him until the village where he lived became a deserted land with only his home still standing. People soon avoided the entire area, but every now and then there was always one who wandered in and reminded everyone of why the Dark One was still someone to be feared.**

**That was where Gothel found him. She approached him and somehow convinced him to join her side. That was yet another mystery that had yet to be recorded** (because it didn’t exist) **but she managed it as quickly as everything else she set her mind to. With that, anyone who dared fight Gothel then fought her most loyal of followers and were crushed on sight.**

**Any fight left in the people, died when Gothel recruited The Dark One to her side-**

~

   Alice skimmed through the pages again. She didn’t want to hear about the fake horrors Gothel that was making everyone think Rumplestiltskin had done in her name. Part of her knew that she was being ridiculous. Rumplestiltskin had done plenty of horrors in the real world, and those were in his own name, but for some reason she still found herself more sickened by this. At least people who hated him in the real world did it for the real things he had really done of his own choice. In this world, they hated him for lies and tricks that weren’t his. And on top of that, in the real world, he had become a good man, trying to make up for the bad, while here… Well, here, he was so much worse than his real self.

   Naveen was still watching her closely, but Alice ignored him completely, flipping through the pages and reading odd paragraphs here and there of Gothel’s rule with Rumplestiltskin by her side. Most of it just involved them showing up and knocking the King or Queen to the ground before they gave in and swore their elegance to them on the spot or otherwise crushing any who attempted to create a resistance against her. A few people fought back at the beginning but even they were dealt with quickly enough. None of the takeovers seemed to last more than two to three paragraphs in the book at a time. And even then, they were just the rare troublemakers who inevitably reached the same ending.

   Then Alice glanced over the second part to catch her attention over halfway into the book. It was a part that appeared to be talking about her...

~

**Alice was the first and only daughter of Empress Gothel. Her father is unknown. No one had seen Gothel with a man except The Dark One and it was made clear that there were no such relations between them, meaning her daughter’s father remained a mystery to the rest of the world. Gothel refused to name him, stating he was nothing to her and that he would hold no bearing to her title or her daughter. Anyone who dared speak against her for any of this behaviour lost their tongue before they could finish their sentences and soon it was rarely mentioned only by those who spoke out against the Empress and they did not live very long lives.**

**Alice grew up as Gothel’s most precious gem** (Alice snorted loudly at that part, causing Naveen to squint suspiciously at her) **and was given everything a young woman could desire in life. She was also given the title of Mistress, as Gothel stated she was not a simple Princess, nor was she an ordinary Lady. Alice was the only thing Gothel truly loved** (Alice’s eyes were rolling so hard she nearly saw the inside of the back of her head) **and this love was proven when Gothel accepted her daughter despite the child proving to have no magical abilities at all** (bullshit).

**Despite having no magic, Alice grew up to be very much like her mother; Powerful. No one stood in her way and no one denied her the many treasures that she wanted out of life-**

~

   Alice stopped reading mid sentence. She wanted to know about this world – she hoped it would help her find a way to beat it – but she couldn’t stomach reading an endless nonsense of her being nothing more than a spoilt brat who was apparently adored by Gothel. That really was rubbish. Gothel had made it very clear she hated Alice, and the only reason Alice had a role as her daughter in this world was because she didn’t have complete control over everything she had changed. That much was obvious by this book alone and its constant rambles of love and loyalty. No one was really loyal to Gothel. They had memories of it, sure, but they were fake and their true selves were coming out now that they were free to act on their own again.

   Briefly she wondered what Tiana’s fake story was, but she doubt Naveen would tell her, even if she asked so instead she turned back to the books and began to pack them away, as carefully as she had found them. She didn’t want to leave a mess and she was done reading about how powerful Gothel was. She wasn’t anywhere close to the power she had everyone thinking possessed and the sooner everyone else realised that, the sooner they would all finally be able to take her down and fix everything she had ruined!

   “Are you enjoying going through Naveen’s things?”

   Alice turned around to find Tiana entering the tent. She turned and raised an eyebrow at Naveen but he just shrugged. “She was reading up on the history books.” He explained.

   “And why is that?” Tiana frowned.

    “Because I don’t know anything about this world.” Alice explained, standing up. “And I want to find out so I can use the information to fight back against Gothel.”

   Tiana paused, then turned to Naveen. “Stand outside and make sure no one disturbs us, especially not Regina or her sister.”

   Naveen hesitated but only for a second before he was nodding his head at her obediently. “Yes, my Queen.”

   After he had left, Tiana turned and took a seat, facing her with one arm resting on the table, watching Alice closely. “So…” She began.

   “So?” Alice asked. It was impossible to read passed Tiana’s stony expression and see what she was really thinking underneath. But she’d sent Naveen away, so surely that meant she didn’t think Alice was just another blind and dangerous follower of Mother Gothel’s? Either that, or it meant that she just felt she could handle her if Alice tried anything – which was honestly quite likely, in this world and the real one.

   “I’ve just finished discussing with my council what to do about you.” Tiana explained.

   Alice glanced around, suddenly feeling a chill of worry. “Where’s my papa?” She asked. “Where’s Robin?”

   “I’ve set your father up in a temporary tent.” Tiana explained. “Robin is settling down with her mother and her aunt.”

   Alice shrugged slightly, standing up. “So what now?”

   “Now… I’m not sure.” Tiana admitted. “Both Killian Jones and Robin vouch for you pretty strongly. The former means nothing to me but I trust Regina and, in a smaller way, I therefore trust her niece.”

   Alice could sense there was more coming. “But…?”

   “But the others made very good points against you, including Regina.” Tiana finished.

   “Well, I can solve the problem right now.” Alice said with a shrug.

   “Oh really?”

   “Let me go.” Alice said simply. “I don’t want to stay here anyway. I just want to go with my papa and with Robin and anyone else who is willing and to put a stop to Gothel’s spell. I want to fix things once and for all. I want to end all of this. So let me go and you won’t have to worry about me or anything else, either.”

   Tiana frowned. “You sound so sure, but you must know that we can’t do that.”

   Alice returned the frown. “Why not?”

   “Because if you are still your mother’s daughter, what’s to stop you going back to her and telling her all about our resistance? And if we give you people, you could be walking them to their execution.” Tiana argued.

   “I won’t! I’m not her daughter! Not really! I mean, biologically, I guess, but I have never referred to her as my mother and I never will.” Alice snapped. “And she doesn’t see me as her daughter anyway. She just wants to shut me up before I can fix things and stop her. She wants me dead as much as she wants the rest of you dead, if not more. I would actually put money on her letting you go so long as she could finish me off instead.”

   Tiana paused, staring at her. “You’re either a very good actress, or your father is telling the truth and you truly believe your own hallucination.”

   Alice let out a loud growl of annoyance, turning and kicking the chest of books. Immediately the flap was thrown open and Naveen appeared, hand on his sword and at the ready but he was stilled within seconds from a single half hearted wave of Tiana’s hand. Alice ignored him completely, turning to glare at Tiana’s cool expression.

   “Read my lips, Queen.” Alice snapped. “I. Am. Not. Delusional!” She shouted. “This!” She waved her arms around her. “This is all fake! None of it is real! My world is real! My memories! And I’m trying to set things right if you people would just let me!”

   Tiana stared at Alice as the young woman fell quiet, panting hard and shaking. She wasn’t even sure why she was so frustrated. Tiana wasn’t the first person to question her sanity. However she was the first one to do it since she had accidentally nearly caused her friend to murder her true love and father. Maybe she was a little more on edge than she realised, even after she had managed to get some rest earlier.

   “Naveen. Set up an extra guest tent for young Miss Alice here.” Tiana said.

   “Thanks, but no thanks.” Alice said, trying to brush off the last of her frustration. “I have a mission I need to complete.”

   “I’m not inviting you to stay.” Tiana said coldly. “You are the daughter of our greatest enemy. We’d be fools to let you go.” She lifted her chin slightly. “No. Until I can determine whether you’re truly out of your mind or simply acting that way in order to lure the rest of us into a trap, you will remain here with us under constant surveillance.”

   “You’re taking me hostage?!” Alice gaped.

   “Until we can determine whether or not you are a threat to us? Yes.” Tiana said. “But if it turns out that you really are just insane, you may be of use to our cause.”

   “I can be of use to your cause if you let me go!” Alice snapped. “I can’t undo Gothel’s spell if I’m trapped here with you.”

   Tiana ignored her, glancing towards her friend. “Naveen. Go set up the tent.”

   “Will you be-” Naveen began.

   “I’ll be fine. Just go get things ready for her.” Tiana insisted.

   “I’m not just going to let you lock me up!” Alice snapped.

   “You don’t get a say in the matter.” Tiana said coldly. “If you kill me and try to escape, my whole camp will be on you immediately. You won’t get far and without your mother’s protection, you won’t stand a chance either. And if you care about your so called father, then you wouldn’t want to do anything that might hurt him either. Because, rest assured, he is in the same position as you are.”

   “My papa is a hero; you can’t treat him like this!” Alice shouted, even as Naveen disappeared to set up her latest prison.

   “He is a stranger who showed up with you, of all people. And he will be treated as just as much a suspect as you until we can be sure-”

   “Oh, bullshit!” Alice snapped.

   Tiana suddenly stood and took a step forward. Before Alice could react, the Queen had pulled a knife out from her trouser pocket and held it against her throat, cupping the back of her head to keep her from pulling away. Alice froze as Tiana glared down at her. “Enough.” She snarled. “You’re not royalty here and you will do as you are told. If you want to live to see the sunrise that is. Now, be quiet, and when Naveen comes back, he will escort you to your tent where you will stay until we decide what to do with you. I won’t ask if that’s clear or not, because it is.” She lowered her knife and looked at Alice with a dark expression. “Welcome to _my_ kingdom, _Mistress_.”

  **To Be Continued**

_Chapter Seventeen: Living Nightmare - Sneak Peek:_  
_"Rumple-" Alice began when his hand reached up and he grabbed her throat, cutting her off._  
_Rumplestiltskin lift Alice off of her feet and held her in the air, his fingers gripping her throat so tightly she couldn't even manage to croak against the pressure. There was no way for her to breath, she kicked but her legs were short and even when she managed to hit him, it did nothing to stop him from squeezing even more firmly on her, and after a while it felt like her head was going to explode. She needed to breathe. She needed oxygen!_  
_"Easy, my pet." Gothel said, appearing behind Rumplestiltskin and placing a hand on his shoulder, finally he eased his grip and Alice gasped for a ragged breath, still being held up in the air._  
_When Alice looked down at him, she found a pair of angry and unrecognisable eyes staring back at her and his lips pulled back into a snarl. It was terrifying and she found she was unable to pull herself free.  
_ _"Stop," Alice gasped. "Stop… Please… Stop…"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not too happy with this chapter. Feels more like filler but there is more intense moments to come, and this one gives a little more insight into what Gothel changed and how she changed it.
> 
> Please comment, tell me what you think of the chapter, tell me what you think is going to happen in the next chapter, tell me what you wish would happen, tell me if you have a freckle on the back of your hand (it's meant to be lucky or something...), just tell me something!  
> Thank you! ;) <3


	17. Living Nightmare

   The tent Naveen had set up was as small and basic as they came. It was dark green with no floor, leaving the grassy ground exposed to her feet, tight spaced and with old fashion wooden posts securing it to the ground in between the weeds. It might have been flimsy excuse for a prison if they didn’t strip Alice of almost every single item she had on her that could have been of use; including anything remotely sharp that she might have turned into a weapon to cut an escape hole through the thick material when they weren’t looking. Even all the stones and sticks were cleared out with only a single mattress left behind, laid down on the uneven ground for her to sleep on and a bucket for her to use as a privy.

   She was escorted to the tent by Tiana, Naveen and an older man she didn’t recognise. On the way, almost everyone they passed stopped to stare at her with open looks of distrust and anger. Alice wanted to look away from them in shame, despite doing nothing wrong, but at the same time, she was also hoping to catch sight of her father or Robin behind the thick crowds. Unfortunately, despite her hopes, neither of them made an appearance, or at least not one that Alice could easily spot.

   By the time she reached the tent, she was fighting the urge to drop to the ground and curl up into a stubborn ball of misery, if only to make things more awkward out of spite to Tiana and her people. She knew they were good people in the real world, but that didn’t stop her hating them in this one. They were dooming themselves and everyone else by their own stubbornness and refusal to believe her. Even Robin, who had been sceptical, had begun trusting her gut and allowed Alice to continue her mission. Even if she did it with an extreme reluctance the whole time.

   As Alice was led inside, she briefly heard Tiana instructing Naveen to have someone trustworthy standing guard at all times and to repeatedly check up on her himself every half hour. Tiana also promised to double check on them every couple of hours as well. They really weren’t taking any chances with Alice here.

   After that, the older unknown man seemed to notice her eavesdropping and pushed her through the last inches of the entrance and into the claustrophobic dark space. They hadn’t even bothered giving her a light and she turned around just in time for them to close the flaps and seal them from the outside.

   With that… Alice was alone in the dark.

   So only now, did she allow herself to cry.

   … Or at least, she tried to.

   Alice walked over and dropped onto the mattress, pulling her knees to her chest and burying her face in her palms with the full intention of letting out a good long sob… Only, surprisingly, nothing came. Her throat didn’t seize up and her eyes remained unflooded. Even when she tried to force it out, thinking she might feel better afterwards, nothing happened. Eventually she gave up trying and lift her head, looking up into the darkness of the tent around her, wondering just how long she would be stuck here before they officially decided what to do with her… Or maybe they planned to just leave her here for good until they beat Gothel or more likely, until Gothel beat them.

   “Don’t I even get a book?” Alice called out.

   No answer.

   “Screw you, too.” Alice grumbled, lying back. If nothing else, she should at least get some more sleep. And who knows, maybe Gothel would leave her alone this time…

**O*U*A*T**

_Or maybe not._

_When Alice opened her eyes, like every other time after she had closed them, she was back in her old home in the miserable remains of the tower. Except there was something not right about this time. It hadn’t begun its usual collapse yet and nothing appeared to be paused in place like last time, but Alice could feel something was very off. It wasn’t until she had looked around the area and finally looked down at herself that she realised what it was._

_She was a young girl again, no more than twelve years old and wearing an old dress she hadn’t seen for some years now. The tower itself looked almost as good as new, exactly like when she was a child and she went out of her way to keep it clean for the day her papa would return to her. And on top of all of that, Alice was left standing in front of a familiar painting of a blue ocean with a ship sailing across the clear waters. It took her a moment before she realised where the painting and the dress were from and then she remembered: her dream. The one she had right before her papa was cursed by Gothel. This was all from her dream – or vision or nightmare or whatever you wanted to call it._

_She knew this was part of Gothel’s dream now, and yet, it still felt like her own. It was so natural that she instinctively reached for her brush and started to continue the already finished painting, needlessly adding more blue shades to the water with a delicate touch. Alice barely flicked her wrist, watching the image with a slight daze of concentration while part of her mind was still waiting for Gothel to make her usual appearance. It normally happened at the very start of the dream, but for whatever reason, she hadn’t this time._

_“That’s beautiful, Alice.”_

_There she was._

_Alice turned, looking up and when she caught sight of Gothel, her previous calm and serenity was replaced with a hot fury that burned inside her. Gothel looked no different to when she did when Alice had last seen her in the Enchanted Forest, and yet she walked to stand in the exact spot where Alice’s father stood in the original dream. She was even using his words, though on him they had been soft encouragement and on her, it was almost like she was mocking Alice’s talent._

_“Thanks,” Alice said with a sad smile. “But I don’t like it.”_

_Wait what? That wasn’t what she had meant to say! She’d wanted to tell the woman to piss off and let her rest for once but when she opened her mouth, those words blurted out instead._

_“Why? It’s your best one yet.” Gothel said, her voice still sounding like she was simply teasing Alice about it._

_“It makes me want to see the real ocean,” Alice went on, her insides screaming while her outside placed the paint brush down and wandered over to the open window. “I’m done painting for today.”_

_“I’m so sorry, starfish.” Gothel cooed, walking up behind her as she stood in front of the open window._

NO! _Alice mentally screamed._ You don’t get to call me that! You don’t get to talk to me like that!

   _Alice tried to force herself to move but her body was frozen. She couldn’t resist a hand reaching up and touching the barrier that surrounded her tower…_

_Except there wasn’t anything there. Her hand moved right through the open window and the shock caught her young self off guard. Gasping, Alice reeled back from the window, nearly tripping up as she fell against Gothel who then grabbed her arms tightly and pushed her forward again. Alice shrieked in surprise as she was forced to the very edge of the open window, her body tilting so her feet were barely resting against the corner edge with Gothel squeezing her arms so tightly that there was no way for her to break the hold. Of course, if she did, then Alice would have no time to turn around or grab onto the tower and would surely fall to the terrifying bottom of the hard ground bellow._

_“You’re a very rude child, aren’t you, Alice?” Gothel said, her voice close to her ear._

_“Pull me in!” Alice’s child self shrieked. “Pull me in!”_

_“I thought you wanted to escape this tower?” Gothel sneered._

_“No! No! Please!” And suddenly she was crying out. “PAPA! SAVE ME, PAPA!” The same cries she called when her father’s heart was originally cursed against her. She tried to shut up, knowing her screams were entertaining Gothel and that she would most likely wake if she was dropped, yet her body still wouldn’t listen and she continued to beg desperately to the nothing outside her tower window. “HELP ME! SAVE ME, PAPA!”_

_“Pathetic.” Gothel smirked._

_No, no, no, no, no!_

_This was not right! Gothel was weak in this world and this was Alice’s dream! Not just her dream, but her memory as well. But no matter what it was, it was all happening in_ her _head. Why could Gothel control her like this? Surely it should be impossible. She shouldn’t be able to have complete power in Alice’s own mind while she was still so obviously weak in the real world. Alice wasn’t going to let her get away with this! She wasn’t going to let her win, not here, not in her own head of all places._

_No way. This was Alice’s mind. It was Alice’s dream. It was Alice’s damn memory, even if it was a fake one. It was all hers and so Gothel… Could Get… The Hell… OUT!_

_Suddenly Gothel shouted out in surprise and just like that, Alice was standing in a corner across the room away from her. She was still stuck in her child self’s body, right down to the clothes on her back, but at least she was out of Gothel’s clutches. Speaking of which, Gothel rounded to look at her sharply. Her expression was very controlled but Alice could see the intense irritation in her eyes._

_“Clever girl,” Gothel smirked, walking around towards her painting. “Personally I think it’s a bland piece at best. The colours are all the same, the lines are uneven where they should be straight and straight where they should be curved. All in all, it looks like what it is. A child’s painting.”_

_Alice tensed, feeling strangely protective over her imaginary work. “And what would you know about art? All you know how to do is play in the dirt.”_

_Gothel raised her eyebrows in mock surprise. “My. Someone’s getting bolder.”_

_“Someone’s getting tired of this rubbish!” Alice snapped. “Why are you even doing this anymore? You clearly can’t hurt me here, and you will never convince me to turn myself in. What exactly are you trying to achieve? Isn’t this draining your magic to do this every damn time I fall asleep?”_

_“Oh, I have help with that.” Gothel smirked._

_“Anastasia?” Alice realised._

_Gothel paused, then her smile spread but Alice saw the growing annoyance in her eyes. She had hoped Alice wouldn’t know who she was working with. “My. Aren’t you clever.”_

_“More than you know.” Alice smirked, crossing her arms._

_Gothel raised an eyebrow. “Yet you still can’t control your own dream…” She said, nodding at Alice’s young outer appearance._

_Alice growled angrily. “What is your goal with all this?!” Alice said, waving her hands at herself and the tower. “What do you gain from any of it?!”_

_“My business,” Gothel said calmly._

_“Fine, then have your business.” Alice growled. “I may not be able to force myself to wake up, or force you to leave, but that doesn’t mean I have to listen to you.” She turned around, crossing her arms and glaring at the wall, sulking like the child she looked like. It was ridiculous, but she didn’t care. Maybe if she stopped giving her attention, then Gothel would give up on her own._

_“I see you’re with the rebel camp.” Gothel said suddenly._

_Alice tensed, hesitating before giving up on her plan to ignore her immediately as she spun back around, glaring at the superior look on the woman’s face. “How did you know that?!”_

_“This is my world, Alice. I know all. I may be unable to reach them wherever they are – it seems the rebels have magic to block me out, no doubt thanks to Regina and her sister – but I can still sense wherever you are.” She sighed loudly. “Sadly, while you are with them, I will be unable to get near.”_

_Alice hesitated, frowning in confusion. “What? Why… Why tell me that?”_

_“Because, despite what people may think, I am merciful.” Gothel explained calmly. “I’m giving you one more chance, Alice. Stay right where you, with the rebels. They’ll never win against me, but you have your father… You have your true love… Stay with them and be happy for the rest of your life and leave me to mine.”_

_She fell quiet, and after a pause, Alice took the quiet moment to snort loudly. “Right. And what’s the real reason?”_

_Smiling again, Gothel walked over to Alice’s painting, reaching and gently touching the ships fresh picture. Then, in one swift movement, she dug her nails through the canvas and tore it down the middle, scratching into it as easily as if she was playing with a soft pile of clay._

_It was hard not to feel more than a bit angry by such a simple action. Alice knew it wasn’t real. It was all a dream in her head, and yet it was somehow still_ her _art work that Gothel was destroying, even if it was only hers by imagination. Gothel was ruining something that Alice had the odd memory of making with such care and love and it felt more personal than if she had walked over and slapped her across the face._

_Alice forced herself to stay where she was, but allowed her lips to pull back into a snarl. Part of her knew she shouldn’t let Gothel know when she had got to her but… Well, they were already in her head. So she probably knew how she was feeling even without her physically showing it._

_“You have nowhere to go.” Gothel said. “The rebels hate you because you are my child and they will never trust you. They don’t know the truth. So you are trapped. Stay with them and they will most likely execute you themselves, if they don’t lock you up and torture you for information that is. Run away, and me, or my_ dog _will find you and kill you that way.” Alice cringed at the way she referred to Rumplestiltskin but forced herself to stay in her corner. “No matter what decision you make. I will win.”_

_“They’re the heroes! They would never murder and torture anyone!” Alice snapped. “And you’re stupid if you think they would!”_

_“Maybe in your world. But this is mine.” Gothel said confidently. “These aren’t the same people you think you know.”_

_“I don’t need to know them. They’re good. And good doesn’t do that.” Alice said stubbornly._

_Gothel smirked. “We shall see.”_

_Growling, Alice forced herself to put on a bored tone to her voice. “Can I wake up yet?”_

_“Can you?” Gothel asked._

_“You can’t keep me here forever.” Alice said, turning away from her with the full intent of ignoring her until the dream came to an end on its own… Only to find she wasn’t facing the corner of the room any more but rather the open window again. “What…”_

_“Alice!”_

_“Papa?!” Alice gasped, rushing the last few steps to the window and looking out as far as she could see._

_It was an instinctive move; to hear her father’s voice and run to it. If she had been thinking straight, she would have realised it had to be a form of trick from Gothel – who she would later realise seemed to have momentarily disappeared from the room – but she wasn’t thinking and so she was taken by surprise when she looked over the edge of the tower. She saw it wasn’t her father looking up at her, even though she was sure it had been his voice that had called out to her._

_Instead, Rumplestiltskin, dressed as Weaver, looked up at her. “Hello, Alice.”_

_“Rumple-” Alice began when his hand reached up and he grabbed her throat, cutting her off._

_Rumplestiltskin climbed the rest of the way up into the tower with ease, lifting a child sized Alice off of her feet and holding her in the air, his fingers gripping her throat so tightly she couldn’t even manage to croak against the intense pressure. There was no way for her to breath, she kicked but her legs were short and even when she managed to barely hit him, it did nothing to stop him from squeezing even more firmly on her. After a while, it felt like her head was going to explode and her legs no longer had the power to lash out._

_She needed to breathe._

_She needed oxygen!_

_“Easy, my pet.” Gothel said, appearing behind Rumplestiltskin and placing a hand on his shoulder, finally he loosened his grip and Alice gasped for a ragged breath, still suspended in the air._

_“Not real…” Alice managed to croak._

_“And yet… You’re still choking.” Gothel sneered._

_“Not… Real…” Alice gasped._

_“But it will be.” Gothel said, stepping away and letting her hand slide from Rumplestiltskin’s shoulder. “He will find you and this will be how your story ends.”_

_“No!” Alice gagged._

_“Unless you hand yourself over to me.” Gothel said. “Save yourself the pain of being killed by your friend and allow me to complete the task personally.”_

_Alice gasped, feeling Rumplestiltskin slowly squeeze down on her throat again. “No.” She croaked. “I. Won’t… Die… I won’t… Give… Up… Never…”_

_Gothel didn’t answer, just smirked in the background, watching her choking in Rumplestiltskin’s grip. Alice tried to fight through the dream, to regain control like when she escaped Gothel’s hold by the window, but something about it being Rumplestiltskin now holding her was putting her off. When she looked down at him, she found a pair of angry and unrecognisable eyes staring back at her and his lips pulled back into a nasty snarl. It was terrifying and she found any strength from before leave her in a cold rush._

_“Stop,” Alice gasped. “Stop… Please… Stop…”_

_“What happened to your earlier bravery?” Gothel asked, taking a seat by the window, leaning her back against the wooden frame. “You were so sure of yourself. Why don’t you just ‘refuse’ to talk again?”_

_Tears filled Alice’s eyes and she shut them tightly, trying to block out Rumplestiltskin’s angry face and force herself to be released, to move across the room to safety but just when she thought it would happen, he tightened his hold and cut off the last of her air once again. Alice’s eyes and mouth opened instinctively but no sound came out as she attempted to cry and she felt her head growing dizzy and heavy. She refused to look towards Rumplestiltskin, instead rolling her eyes towards the ceiling._

_If she couldn’t escape, maybe she could do something else. Alice began to will the tower to shake. She began to will the beams to fall and the bricks to collapse inwards and for all hell to break lose. Alice thought back to when she escaped the power, that rare show of magic that allowed her to create her friend and break her free from this hell…_

_Rumplestiltskin’s hold on her vanished. Alice crumpled to the floor, coughing and gasping for desperate breath, rubbing her sort throat and feeling it bruise and swell under her fingers in seconds. When she looked up, she saw Rumplestiltskin had disappeared completely from the tower. Gothel still sat on the window, smirking down at her as Alice shuddered away from that spiteful look in her eyes. Alice glanced around but they really were alone. There were no more tricks waiting for her._

_Alice heard a scream._

_She immediately made a move for the window but forced herself to stop, still clutching her sore throat with one hand and glaring at Gothel instead._

_“Isn’t that your true love crying for help?” Gothel asked innocently._

_“It’s not real.” Alice said. Or she tried to, but her throat felt like it was closed off and her words came out as a unintelligible husky wheeze of noise._

_The scream came again, louder and more desperate than before. Alice cringed. How was she remaking the screams so realistically?_

_“It’s not real!” Alice choked, tears filling her eyes even as she tried to hold them back. She didn’t want Gothel seeing her like this but it was all too much._

_“This isn’t reality, but it will be.” Gothel stood. “I am giving you one last warning, Alice.”_

_“What?” Alice rasped._

_“This is a warning.” Gothel repeated. “If I don’t get you then I will get everyone else you care about. Starting with Robin.”_

_Another scream, so loud, so intense, it seemed to last forever. Finally, Alice couldn’t take it. She stood from where she was suddenly on the far side and ran to the window. It seemed to take her forever before she got there, finally sticking her head out as far as she could without falling and looking towards the ground and then into the distance. But no matter how far she looked, she couldn’t see her love. Yet she could still hear her screaming so clearly as if she was right beside her._

_“ROBIN!” Alice screamed._

**O*U*A*T**

“ROBIN!” Alice shrieked, sitting up in the bed and screaming long after she had woken up.

   She was back in the tent at Tiana’s camp. It was almost pitch black and there was a cold chill that managed to get inside the small space with a whistle of the wind that sent a shiver of nerves down Alice’s already tense spine. The only other sound she could make out was the distant rumblings of the other campers, but they all seemed a great way away, like everyone had packed up and abandoned her here, locked in her tent, alone in the dark with the whistling screams of the outside wind forcing its way inside.

   “Robin…” Alice croaked as the last of her screams died from her lips. She still felt Rumplestiltskin’s imaginary fingers wrapped around her throat, still making it hard for her to breathe. Her mouth was dry and when she coughed, it physically hurt, but she didn’t let the pain distract from her fear.

   The darkness was smothering her. Alice stood up from her mattress and spun in a circle, sure that something was sneaking up behind her. Gothel or one of her creatures. She’d sent them after her. They were going to attack her. They were going to grab her and everyone had already left. They’d abandoned her. She was alone. Like in the tower. Only worse. In the tower, she was alone but safe. Here, she alone with something creeping up behind her, trapped and unable to escape with a monster leering and breathing down her neck. She’d been abandoned. Her papa… He’d gone… Robin… Rumplestiltskin… They were all gone. She was alone. Alone. Now and forever. Alone.

   “No…” Alice croaked, Robin’s screaming still echoing from her dreams. “NO! ROBIN!” She ran to the opening and began pulling at them, trying to force the flaps to open. “ROBIN! ROBIN!” She screamed.

   It was hard to tell how long she had been screaming for. It felt like too long just pulling at the sealed tent entrance, screaming and kicking along the walls, shrieking until her dry throat felt like it was burning and the tears had blinded her just as much as the darkness. Her heart was beating and the air to her lungs was coming in sharp gasps that didn’t ever seem to be enough. She was breathing, but it didn’t feel like it. She felt cold, yet she was sweating, and she couldn’t stop shaking. She was afraid if she stopped moving then she would collapse into a quivering mess on the floor so she kept running around the tent, slapping and kicking at the material, screaming the same word over and over. She wanted her papa too, but Robin’s cries from her dream were still so fresh that she couldn’t think of anyone but her.

   And then, just when Alice felt like she was going to pass out – something she didn’t want to do because it might take her back to the very place that had terrified her so – she heard the sound of someone shouting on the other side of the tent. Alice froze, just for a moment because even though she recognised the voice, her mind was still hearing Robin’s scream and the panic of the lonely darkness was smothering her worse than ever before.

   And then, the curtain was being torn open and there was a sudden burst of dull warm light. Compared to the darkness, it was blinding and Alice winced, finally stopping her screams to shield her eyes but unwilling to look away at the same time. She squinted through the pain and found Zelena and Regina standing in front of her. They both had a pair of flames resting in their palms and they both looked angry. It would have been frightening to see them staring at her like that with the flames casting shadows over their faces, if Alice wasn’t already terrified and desperate to see Robin as well. And if they were here, then Robin had to be close by. She just had to be!

   Alice looked passed the two women, ignoring them completely and craning her neck to spy between their shoulders. She continued to scream out for her love desperately, waiting impatiently for her to appear. “ROBIN!”

   “Oh shut up!” Zelena snapped.

   Alice’s teeth clicked together so hard they echoed slightly as she shut her lips. She glanced between the two women, still shaking and fighting the sobs that threatened to overwhelm her from shock more than fear but there was no sympathy in the pair of eyes glaring back down at her. No. Nothing but vile, unsurpressed hatred. Very much like how Robin had looked when she first found her in this world.

   “Why do you keep calling for my niece?” Regina snarled.

   “I… I…” Alice stuttered. “I have to see her!” She said finally.

   “You’re not getting anywhere near my daughter,” Zelena hissed. “You’re the reason Gothel came after us.”

   “No, that’s not true!” Alice argued, she glanced behind them again. “Where’s Robin?”

   “If you keep calling for Robin, we’ll take your tongue,” Regina stated coldly.

   “I have to see her! I have to make sure she’s okay!” Alice snapped. “Please! ROBIN!”

   “She’s fine now she’s away from you.” Zelena sneered.

   “I wouldn’t hurt her.” Alice said, fighting the urge to keep screaming. Even with their light chasing away the monsters in the shadows, she was still so afraid. She was afraid she’d never see Robin again. She was afraid that yesterday was the last time she’d see her papa. She was afraid she wouldn’t be able to fix what Gothel had done and that things would stay like this forever. “Please, I love Robin, I need to see her!” She blurted.

   “Oh cut the act, would you? Neither of us are buying your crazy pretence. And even if we did, I’d rather die than let my daughter near anyone as evil and monstrous as you.” Zelena said coldly, only looking mildly surprised by Alice’s love confession.

   “I’m not evil, none of that is true! I want to see Robin!” Alice snapped, feeling her face grow hot and her stomach churning. She felt like she was going to be violently sick and pass out all at once.

   “I have seen the things you’ve done with your mummy standing behind you.” Regina snarled, stepping towards her threateningly. “So don’t give me any of that crap of how you’re just an innocent girl. You are far from innocent you nasty little-”

   Too much. This was just too much. “ROBIN!” She screamed.

   “Enough!” Regina snapped.

   “ROBIN!” Alice cried, feeling so panicked that she thought she was truly going to lose her mind like during one of her bad days as Tilly.

   “I said… EN-” Regina began, raising her hand like she meant to strike.

   “ENOUGH!”

   Everyone turned just as Robin forced her way into the tent. She was panting hard, and her clothes were twisted and ruffled like she had to fight to get in here, which seemed to be the case, judging by the thick looking man that quickly followed her inside. He was left looking both annoyed and embarrassed that he had failed to stop her from getting passed and started to grab for her only to stop short. When he caught sight of the other women in the room staring at him, he hesitated and shrugged helplessly, slinking back outside like he didn’t want anything to do with what was coming next. Probably a wise move.

   Robin ignored the man behind her completely, standing tall in the opening with an angry expression as she looked from her mother to her aunt and back again. She barely glanced at where Alice stood between them but there was no doubt in her mind that Robin had come charging in for her.

   “Robin, we told you to wait in our tent!” Regina snapped, forgetting Alice and momentarily turning away from her.

   “You also told me you were just going to talk to Tiana!” Robin snapped back.

   “We were but then we heard her scream-” Zelena began explaining.

   “Hey!” Regina yelped.

   But her cry came too late and Alice took the distracted chance to cut Zelena off mid sentence. While they were busy shouting at each other, something inside Alice fully snapped and her common sense went with it. She couldn’t hold herself back. Not for a moment longer. She was both desperate and terrified of being in this tent on her own and of losing the people she loved most.

   So she took the accidental diversion as a chance to dive between and under the two older women’s waving arms and threw herself against Robin, wrapping her own arms around the other girl tightly and bursting into tears against her warm shoulder. She buried her face under Robin’s chin and let herself slouch against her in sudden exhaustion, finally relaxing now that she knew her love was safe. She was safe and she was here with Alice. That was all that mattered.

   It was hard for her to even tell why she was crying at this point. Part of it was lasting effects of the dream still lingering on her mind – Robin’s screaming still echoing in the distance even while she stood in front of her – while another part was still feeling the fear of being abandoned – left alone in the darkness for the imaginary monsters crawling up on her – and then there was just the genuine relief of having her love back in her arms. She never wanted to let her go. Never again. Not for as long as she had any control over it.

   And all that wasn’t even touching the fear she felt of having every person she had ever trusted and cared for now hating her enough to strike her coldly, with or without magic. If nothing else, it seemed Gothel had succeeded in more than just changing the world. Alice was utterly miserable, whether she was asleep or whether she was awake. In fact, waking up was probably the worst of the two nightmares.

   “Whoa, um, okay… Alice…” Robin said, sounding unsure and holding her hands up as if to show her mother and aunt that she wasn’t a willing participant in the hug.

   “I… Please… Don’t leave me.” Alice sobbed. “Please… I don’t want… I can’t be left… Please… Don’t leave me.”

   Alice kept her face buried, not wanting to see the hateful looks on Regina and Zelena’s faces any more, nor wanting to see the baffled and embarrassed expression on Robin’s. She tightened her hold on Robin’s shoulders and pressed her face hard into her neck, enjoying the warm familiar smell that lingered on her clothes and skin, even in this other – so much more twisted – version of the world.

   And then Alice was taken by surprise. Just as she heard the rustle of one of the older women’s long dresses as they began moving towards her – no doubt to rip them apart – she felt Robin slowly wrap her arms around her in return. Robin was still very hesitant about what she was doing and clearly a little embarrassed by it, but before long, she was firmly holding onto Alice, squeezing tightly and whispering softly into her blonde hair.

   Her voice was soothing and gentle, like a lullaby as she subtly clung to Alice. “I’m not going anywhere, Alice.” Robin whispered. She spoke too quietly for Zelena and Regina to hear but Alice didn’t care. She didn’t care about anything but Robin’s sweet comforting embrace.

  **To Be Continued...**

_Chapter Eighteen: Bad News Gets Worse - Sneak Peek:_  
_Robin swallowed and wet her lips, frowning slightly. But there was a genuine guilt in her eyes that both gave Alice hope and dashed them at the same time. “I joined you…” Robin said slowly. “To save my mother. But it turns out… That was all a trick. She’s fine. She’s safe… She doesn’t need saving.”_  
_“Yes she does.” Alice croaked, taking shaky breaths in. “Everyone does. They’re all stuck here with Gothel controlling them-!”_  
_“And this group is going to work together to bring her down, a group that includes my mother.” Robin said firmly._  
_“They won’t do it.” Alice mumbled. “Not in time. They don’t even know what’s really going on…”  
_ _“They will and they do!” Robin suddenly crouched down in front of her, taking her hands. “Alice… I’d be lying if I said things weren’t different between us. You’re… Not who I thought you were. But you need serious help. These delusions of yours are going to get you hurt or worse. You have to let it go, you have to accept the truth. You were a bad person, but… You’re better now. And you can do better.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, in short - Gothel's a bitch, Regina and Zelena need chill pills and, naturally, Robin to the rescue!  
> Please comment, tell me what you think of the chapter, tell me what you think is going to happen in the next chapter, tell me what you wish would happen, tell me if you have any tattoos, just tell me something!  
> Thank you! ;) <3


	18. Bad News Gets Worse

   “Feeling better?” Robin asked quietly.

   “Not really.” Alice admitted in an equally quiet whisper.

   The two girls had settled down back on the mattress, with Robin sitting up as Alice curled against her side, tucking herself firmly into Robin’s arms and clinging to her jacket tightly. Robin had her arm loosely around her – she had no idea how grateful Alice truly was for this simple act – and even let their heads rest against one another, all the while keeping her ears open for the conversation happening just outside. Not that she had to try very hard. They had attempted to keep their voices down at first but it seemed they had now long since given up and were as close to shouting as they could get.

   “She’s troubled! She needs help! But she’s not a bad person!” Killian snapped.

   “Not a bad person?! Is that a joke?!” Zelena shouted. “Have you not heard of all the things she’s done? If not, why don’t I fill you in? I witnessed plenty of it, firsthand!”

   “That wasn’t her! That was Gothel!” Killian argued.

   “And who is Gothel to her again? Oh, that’s right, her mother!” Regina sneered.

   “And remind me, who is your mother again, Regina?” Killian asked snarkily. “If Gothel hadn’t cut that woman down back in the early days, who’s to say she wouldn’t be the one causing us all a misery? Don’t try arguing me on that!” He added quickly. “I had personal experience with Cora.”

   “If I have to tell you all to be quiet one more time, I’m going to let the girl go just to spite you.” Tiana’s voice came, the only one that sounded even close to still being calm.

   “We can’t just leave it like this,” Zelena said, forcing her voice to stay level even though it was clear from her tone that she wanted to scream.

   “Zelena’s right. We need to do something about her.” Regina agreed.

   “And what would you suggest?” Tiana asked.

   “Maybe this is the perfect time to send a message.” Regina went on fiercely. “We have her daughter. Let’s make ourselves known by sending a piece-”

   “Finish that sentence and I’ll take a piece of you!” Killian snarled.

   “Be quiet,” Tiana said sharply. “Regina, we don’t have the army to start sending messages just yet. If we act too soon then Gothel will crush us before we even have a chance. We can’t risk it until we’re sure that we can fight back.”

   “Then what do we do?” Regina said.

   “I’m not sure,” Tiana sighed. “I never dreamed we would even have these kind of options to consider.”

   “Then I say we lock her up for good. Somewhere Gothel will never find her. Or maybe we could put her under a sleeping curse. That would solve all our problems.” Zelena said.

   “You are not harming one hair on my daughters head!” Killian snapped. “If you do, I swear, I will bring your entire camp down!”

   “Then we put you both under the sleeping curse. Once again, problem solved.” Zelena smirked.

   “If you won’t listen to me then listen to your own damn daughter!” Killian hissed.

   Silence.

   Robin leaned forward slightly, straining to hear what was being said next. She kept her arms around Alice as she did and so Alice let her body lean with her, turning to rub her face against her shoulder slightly. She didn’t care what they were saying anymore. Not while she had Robin back. Of course, it didn’t really matter whether she cared or not, since they had dropped back to keeping their voices as quiet whispers again, which turned out to be more tense than when they were shouting at one another.

   After a moment, Robin finally took her arm off of Alice’s shoulder and slowly climbed back onto her feet. Instantly Alice reached out and grabbed her hand, standing up by her side and clinging onto her. Most of the panic had faded during Robin’s stay, but some of it was still lingering and she wasn’t quite willing to let her get too far just yet.

   Not long after Robin had appeared, so had her papa and Tiana. They joined in on the chaos for just a few seconds before Tiana took control of the situation and led the witches and the pirate outside to reprimand them all in one go like children, finally leaving Alice some light in the shape of two old fashion lanterns that chased away the last of the thick shadows imprisoning her. Yet Alice still felt afraid. She couldn’t bring herself to let go of Robin, not even for a second. When the sun rose, Alice knew she would forced to, but until then, she squeezed Robin’s hand between both of her own and followed her across the room.

   Just then the flap was thrown open and both girls jumped as the small group stepped back inside the equally small space, one after another, led by Tiana with Regina bringing up the rear. Alice moved closer to Robin, ignoring the angry looks that Regina and Zelena gave her when she did. Oddly enough, their looks didn’t bother her nearly as much as the pitiful look her papa gave her.

   “Alice.” Tiana said quietly. “I’d like you to tell me the story of this ‘other world’ you think you’re from again. Don’t leave out any detail this time.”

   Alice took a sharp breath. “Okay,” She nodded, barely daring to hope.

   She and Robin retook their seat on the mattress, with Killian kneeling on the floor by the entrance as the other three women were left standing. It was a little intimidating but Alice forced herself to ignore the nervous feeling and began from the very beginning, including every ounce of detail as she could possibly remember, explaining her entire story all the way through the Enchanted Forest and Hyperion Heights and right up to where they were now. She was careful to watch only Tiana for the entirety of her story, but even then, from the corner of her eyes she could see her papa ducking his head like he was embarrassed and Regina and Zelena rolling their eyes constantly, especially with the parts that involved them or Robin.

   When she finally caught up with present time, Tiana had given up with the power act and taken a seat on the floor in front of her. She watched curiously without giving anything away in her expression. Regina and Zelena remained standing, but they had begun shuffling on the spot like they were growing restless and tired… Well, it was a pretty long tale.

   “That is a very detailed story,” Tiana nodded.

   “It’s not just a story,” Alice insisted.

   “I’m starting to see that.” Tiana said slowly.

   “You believe me?!” Alice yelped, more surprised than excited.

   “I believe your father.” Tiana corrected. “I believe you genuinely believe your own story.”

   “Oh,” Alice grumbled, slouching down. “So you think I’m just crazy.”

   “I think something happened to you. And now your mind is playing tricks.” Tiana said slowly. “Either way, I don’t think this is completely your fault.”

   “Okay, so I’m free to go then?” Alice asked hopefully.

   “I’m afraid not. We still can’t risk that.” Tiana said, standing and brushing the blades grass clinging to her trousers.

   “So I’m still a prisoner?” Alice demanded. “If you trust that I believe my own story, then you should know that I truly want to bring Gothel down! And the longer we spend wasting our time here, the longer we give Gothel the chance to regain her full power!”

   “What exactly do you plan to do to defeat her then?” Tiana asked.

   “Well…” Alice hesitated. “I have this friend-”

   Robin squeezed her arm painfully and momentarily cut her off. It was a shock, but Alice forced herself to brush it aside. She reached back and squeezed her in return before trying again.

   “I have a friend. He’s not himself right now, like everyone, but I know I can get through to him.” Alice said. “He can help us.”

   She saw Robin and Killian share a look between them from the corner of her eye – a look that also did not go unnoticed by Regina who openly frowned at them – but said anything out loud. Zelena was too busy glaring at the way Alice and Robin were now tightly holding hands, and Tiana was too busy focusing on Alice’s face, trying to read her expression as if to determine whether or not she could risk everything on her ‘crazy’ stories.

   “We don’t know each other Alice. You can’t expect me to just trust your word alone. Not when you are clearly not even in your right mind in the first place.” Tiana said, then held a short pause. “However if you agree to my terms, maybe we can change that.”

   “You can’t be serious?!” Regina snapped.

   “What terms?” Killian said over Regina’s protest.

   “Whatever she says, agree to it,” Robin whispered sharply into Alice’s ear while everyone else was distracted glaring at each other.

   Alice glanced at her worriedly, but nodded. She didn’t like the idea of having to agree to any unknown terms, not while she needed to be out trying to find a way to undo what Gothel had done to them, but she didn’t have much choice left. While she had said she wanted to get through to Rumplestiltskin, if she was being honest with herself, then she had no idea how to even start at managing that. So despite her nerves and uncertainty, she allowed herself to trust in Robin, if nothing else.

   While Alice had her mental struggle, Tiana finally seemed to be losing her temper with the constant interruption and gave one last threatening snap at both Regina and Zelena when they tried to talk over her. The two women fell unhappily silent and even Killian was shuffling impatiently on the spot, biting back his own sharp responses to their constant string of insults. He probably would have lost control himself if it weren’t for the fact that he was still so unfamiliar with this versions Tiana and wasn’t stupid enough to push his reluctant welcome at her camp. As it was, Alice was surprised by how well he was being treated. Maybe his own reputation as Captain of the Jolly Roger was known enough to protect him.

   “Tiana, we cannot trust her. Just look at the spell she’s put on my daughter,” Zelena snarled.

   “I doubt whatever is going on between her and your daughter has to do with magic.” Tiana sighed.

   “What else would explain her bizarre behaviour?!” Zelena snapped.

   “Hello!” Robin shouted. “I’m sitting right here! And nothing’s going on with me, mum! Not magic or anything else!”

   “Robin, you haven’t let go of her hand since you got here.” Zelena said jadedly.

   Robin looked down as if just noticing, but still didn’t release Alice’s hand. Instead she looked up and shook her head. “Mum. She’s not the same as she was before. She’s really trying now. She saved my life! And I’ve saved hers. And she just scared for goodness sake.” She hesitated then stood and took a small step forward with Alice still following her in order to keep clinging on. “Mum, you always told me about what dad was like. He trusted people and he helped them.”

   “And then he was murdered by _her_ mother!” Zelena shouted.

   “Alice is not her mother, just like you’re not yours.” Robin countered and Zelena’s mouth snapped shut like Robin had just sucker punched her. “This is what dad would have done. He would have trusted his gut and he would have put faith in the person who he thinks needs his help. I wasn’t sure at first, but I am now. I’m sure that Alice wants to do good. And she shouldn’t be punished for her past mistakes. She didn’t choose to be Gothel’s daughter…”

   Zelena finally seemed at a loss for words. She glanced at Regina but even her sister opened and closed her mouth in silent confusion. In the end Alice decided to jump back in before they could start thinking of new arguments against her.

   “What are your terms?” She asked the Queen.

   Tiana turned back to her. “For now, you will stay here with us under a strict supervision. You won’t go anywhere without a guard to watch over you. We will give you a proper tent to live in and you will tell us everything you know about your mother in return. I want her strengths, her weaknesses, those in her castle who are not as loyal as they seem, and anything else useful in taking her down. After some time, if you prove trustworthy, we may take strides in letting you decide where you want to go next. If that is to leave, then so be it. Or you could choose to stay and help us so we can beat Gothel together, if that’s what you really want.” She raised a perfect eyebrow down at her. “These terms are non-negotiable. No matter how long it takes, whether it’s months or years, you must obey our rules.”

   Alice hesitated, and then glanced at Robin who gave her a subtly nod. Finally Alice sighed. “Okay, we have a deal.” She lied.

**O*U*A*T**

   Tiana left to speak privately with Regina and Zelena, probably to tell them to back off of Alice once and for all considering the witches were still arguing with her even as she ushered them out. A few seconds after they had left, Killian risked wandering towards Alice. He nudged as close to his daughter as he dared to get and even then risked leaning even further still in her direction. Only when he could speak in quiet whisper and still be heard did he force himself to come to a complete stop.

   “You were not seriously going to tell them about the dark one, were you?” Killian demanded, glancing nervously over to the entrance as he did, double checking there wasn’t anyone hanging back to listen in.

   “I wasn’t going to say his real name or anything,” Alice shrugged. “I was just going to call him a ‘friend’, or maybe ‘Weaver’.”

   “But you actually want to try and find him again?” Robin snapped, finally putting some space between the two of them so she could round on her properly. “Are you actually full on _mad_?!”

   Alice had to bite back her instant response of ‘all the best people are’. Something told her Robin wouldn’t appreciate their usual shared punchline at this current moment.

   “If I can get through to him, then we can face Gothel together.” Alice promised, standing and taking Robin’s hands as she looked towards her father. “But first we need to get out of here.”

   Robin shook her head, like she was shaking clear her thoughts. “What?!”

   “We need to leave as soon as possible. Gothel’s still waiting, and worse, she knows we’re here. I think we should head off at dawn, first morning here, when they wouldn’t expect us to go,” Alice explained.

   “Alice…” Killian said slowly.

   Alice glanced up at him and paused. There was something not right about the way he was staring at her. He was looking with such sad eyes like he had bad news, but there also with a hint of second hand embarrassment like she was missing something obvious. She frowned, glancing back at Robin who seemed to be biting down on the inside of her lip in a very similar manner. It took another moment before she realised what was happening and why they were both suddenly so uncomfortable around her.

   “You’re not coming with me.” Alice breathed, the shock hitting so hard that her legs actually shook from it and she sat down on the mattress with a hard and dramatic drop.

   Robin swallowed and wet her lips, frowning slightly. But there was a genuine guilt in her eyes that somehow gave Alice hope. Unfortunately her next words dashed it just as quickly. “I joined you…” Robin began slowly. “To save my mother. But it turns out… That was all a trick. She’s fine. She’s safe… She doesn’t need saving.”

   “Yes she does.” Alice croaked, taking a shaky breathe in. “Everyone does. They’re all stuck here with Gothel controlling them-!”

   “And these people are going to work together to bring her down, people that include my mother.” Robin said firmly.

   “They won’t do it.” Alice mumbled. “Not in time. They don’t even know what’s really going on…”

   “They will and they do!” Robin suddenly crouched down in front of her, taking her hands and squeezing until it was almost painful. “Alice… I’d be lying if I said things weren’t different between us. You’re… Not who I thought you were. But you need serious help. These delusions of yours are going to get you hurt or worse. You have to let it go, you have to accept the truth. You were a bad person, but… You’re better now. And you can do better.”

   Tears filled Alice’s eyes and she shook her head. “Robin, I know you don’t believe me, but you need to trust me!”

   “I’ve _been_ trusting you!” Robin snapped, standing and waving her arms out around her. “And… Yes, it got me back to my mother but I need to put my foot down at one point! I can’t abandon her now. I can’t keep running with your delusions.” She paused, taking a breath. “Alice, your father gave up his whole life for you. For him and for me, if you truly love us, can’t you try and see reality?”

   “I do see!” Alice snapped, standing back up. “And that’s why I’m doing this! To save everyone! Please, Robin, I can’t do this without you.”

   “You made a deal with Tiana.” Robin said firmly. Her eyes were wet but she wasn’t crying. Instead she frowned like she was annoyed. “And I won’t be part in anything else. I’m not helping you escape, Alice and I’m not bloody going with you.” She looked like she was going to say something else but just then the tent flap was pushed opened and Zelena stuck her head inside.

   “Robin. I think it’s time you-” Zelena began in a voice that left no room for debate.

   But Robin beat her to it. “Yes, I agree.” She said coldly, never taking her eyes off of Alice before finally shaking her head. “I’m sorry, Alice. But enough is enough.” With that she turned and left, ignoring the slightly surprised look on her mothers face as she pushed past her.

   After that it was just Alice and her father, who looked both sad and uncomfortable, hovering on his spot nearby. He reached for her then paused and touched the heart shaped necklace still hanging over his chest. Then shook his head and grabbed her instead, drawing her into a tight hug. Between the burst of tears that erupted from her throat and the pressure of his tight embrace, Alice was vaguely aware of a green light sucking the poison from his heart and it was that light that gave her the strength to pull away after only a brief sob against him. But even then she couldn’t stop crying as she sat down on the mattress and buried her face onto her knees. Killian sat by her side, whispering soft words to her as close as he dared until her sobs had died into tearful hiccups.

   They remained crouching by the mattress in a miserable silence, right up until Tiana came to collect them and show them to the new, more permanent, tent. Alice stood, wiping her face and forcing herself to quiet the last of her tears, letting her eyes find the floor as she followed Tiana outside, doing everything not to catch anyone’s faces. She didn’t need to see any more hate right now.

   Alice was barely aware of moving through the camp after that point. Tiana didn’t ask her anything about why she was crying or what had happened while she had been outside. Why would she? She didn’t care. No one here cared. The only people who cared about her all thought she was crazy and now one of them had just all out run off…

   Alice loved Robin so much, it hurt twice as hard when she, of all people, rejected her. How was she supposed to stop Gothel without her love standing by her side?

   When they reached the new tent, Alice paid it no attention past a brief glance up in order to find the entrance to get inside. She threw herself onto the smallest bed closest to the entrance and immediately burst into more sobs, burying her face into the sheets and crying until her throat felt raw. At one point she became aware of her father moving to sit by her side and he suddenly began singing a familiar lullaby to her. It was the one she had grown up hearing, long after she needed it to help her sleep at night. His voice was so sweet familiar, singing her song to her... She could almost pretending like she was back in the real world and everything was alright.

   Alice turned her head, looking up at her father through her tears. Then she dragged the pillow along so it was half off the edge of the bed beside her and place her hand carefully underneath it. After a moment, without a word needing to be said between them, Killian put his own hand on top of the pillow, directly over where her’s was hidden.

   With the pillow keeping them safe and while her papa continued to sing the childhood song to her, Alice let her eyes grow heavy before she finally drifted off to sleep.

**O*U*A*T**

   The next morning, Alice woke up feeling much better than she had going to sleep. The new tent had a much softer bed for her and her father was sleeping just on the other side of the room, safely out of her accidental reach but close enough to chase away any nightmare monsters still lurking in the back of her mind. Maybe he was the reason Gothel hadn’t visited her dreams that night… Or maybe she was just too tired to have any dreams in order for Gothel to visit. Either way, Alice hoped she could get away with these kinds of nights more often. If the last dream was any indication, it seemed like Gothel truly was growing more powerful …

   Alice shivered at the memory and pushed it back, sitting up and glancing over towards the entrance. It looked calm but she knew already there had to be a pair of guards waiting outside for her, and it occurred to her that she wasn’t actually sure if she would be allowed to leave without specific permission, even if it was just to relieve herself or something else just as innocent and completely necessary. Then again, Alice wouldn’t have to put up with it for long. Once she had figured a way to get her, papa _and_ Robin out of here, they could continue to…

   To what? Not only had Robin made it clear she had no intention of continuing their adventure, but even if Alice somehow managed to convince her. Well… She had no idea what her next move was. She had told Tiana and the others that she wanted to try and get through to Rumplestiltskin for his help, and she still did, but she also didn’t want to risk Robin or her papa’s lives for it. Meaning she would need to face him on her own. Which would be difficult once they all got away from Tiana’s camp. But what else could she do? Without Rumplestiltskin’s experience and his magic, she had no other plan to go up against Gothel.

   Alice might have been willing to stay at the camp, to help these people fight along side her, but they were talking long term strategy in a war that could, apparently, take years to be won. Alice couldn’t risk waiting that long. Every day passed gave Gothel another day to regain her power, and with her memories of the other world, it wouldn’t be long before she began to take out all those who got in her way the last time. She may pretend like she would spare them if Alice turned herself in but that was nonsense. Without a doubt she would begin weeding off Regina, Zelena, Henry, Killian, Jacinda and everyone who had proven themselves a hero in the real world.

   If Alice could somehow convince Regina, Zelena and Tiana of the truth, then maybe…

   Wait. That was it!

   They wouldn’t believe her because she was Gothel’s daughter, duh! But they would believe their own family, surely! And she didn’t even need to worry about convincing their family. After all, Regina’s son did have the heart of the truest believer.

   With a new set goal in her mind, Alice jumped to her feet and strode towards the exit, leaving her papa to continue his sleep undisturbed. She hesitated only once she had reached the flaps of the exit, then carefully nudged the material as if she were knocking on it.

   “Hello?” She said quietly. “I’d like to come out.”

   At first there was no reply and Alice was about to just walk straight out when the flap was pulled to the side and a burst of fresh air rushed in. It was probably mid morning with a clear sky that was only blocked by the man standing outside. He held a long spear tightly in his hand and stood in a way that blocked most of the entrance, so it would have been impossible for her to squeeze past him. She didn’t recognise him as someone she had known in the real life, and he didn’t look very friendly, either, but neither did he spit at her feet or point the spear directly at her head upon sight so, as far as Alice was concerned, that was a good sign.

   “If I can…” Alice said nervously. “I’d like to see Henry Mills.”

   The guard frowned like he didn’t understand her then shrugged. “You’ve got a limited number of people you’re allowed to see. So the answers no.”

   “Well who can I see?” Alice said, trying not to huff like a child.

   “Queen Tiana, Prince Naveen and Regina.” He said shortly.

   “Wow, so many choices,” Alice grumbled, then forced a smile at the glare the guard shot her. “I’d like to see Regina, then…” She really didn’t want to, but maybe she would be able to convince Regina to let her have a word with Henry, or at least pass along a message that would have him coming to find her.

   The guard grunted in reply, but then turned and began to lead the way. Alice took one last glance back at her papa, still sleeping soundly on his side of the tent, before she turned and followed him. Much like Naveen, the guard made sure to walk by her side, keeping her within sight but also taking a slight lead. It was hard to tell if he was doing it to keep her from escaping or to keep anyone else from causing her harm. Maybe a bit of both, considering she wasn’t very popular around these parts.

   Luckily it was still early enough that almost everyone was either busy working or still catching some shut eye in their tents. A few people noticed her, and nearly all of them glared or scowled in her direction when they did, but Alice ignored each of them in turn and received no further action made towards her.

   That was just another good reason as to why she wanted to get away from this place. Being hated was just so… Tiring.

   Regina’s tent was one of the bigger ones in the whole camp, looking downright fancy compared to its surroundings. It also had a line of dust like magic surrounding it that Alice spotted long before the guard and as soon as he stepped passed the line, it faded away and disappeared. Then, before the guard could call in to her, the entrance was pushed open and Regina appeared, looking almost exactly as she had yesterday except that her hair was down and she didn’t have quite so much make up on. But, as usual, that didn’t change the fact that she continued to hold herself with the look and aura of true royalty.

   When she stepped outside, she had a slight smile on her face and a friendly greeting on her lips; however both the smile and the greeting died when she caught sight of Alice. Instead she pulled her lips back into a sneer and glared down at her in a way that was truly ‘Evil Queen’ worthy. Though Alice had not personally had the chance to meet this side of Regina before, she had a feeling they were going to be very acquainted by the time she left.

   “What do you want?” Regina growled.

   “Just a chat.” Alice said, trying to seem friendly and innocent.

   Regina scowled at her. “If you think you can convince me to join your mother-”

   “Why would I want that?” Alice said, resisting the urge to roll her eyes.

   “Well then what do you want?” Regina snapped.

   “Like I said. Just want to talk,” Alice shrugged.

   “If this is about my niece then let me make one thing clear,” Regina took a sharp step towards her. “I do not like you being near her and if I have to die to do it, I swear, I will keep her safe from you.”

   “Not nearly as safe as I’ll keep her.” Alice said firmly. “I won’t let anything happen to the woman I love.”

   Regina rolled her eyes, still sneering down at her. “Tiana may have bought that rubbish of yours but I’m not so easily fooled.”

   “Look, let’s cut the smack talk. I need to find your son!” Alice blurted, sick of the constant back and forth. Just about every person she had ever known had told her she was a crazy bitch by now and it really was getting old.

   “What son?” Regina frowned.

   “Henry.” Alice said, a feeling of dread building as she prepared for what she realised was going to happen next, despite all her hopes that she was wrong.

   “Who is Henry?” Regina demanded.

   “Your son!” Alice snapped. “You adopted Henry Mills and raised him all by yourself! Until his birth mother came back then you raised him together with her!”

   “I don’t have a son, so if this is your attempt at convincing me you’re genuine, well it’s failing.” Regina explained.

   Alice stumbled on her next words, finding herself at a loss. Henry had been her entire plan B and now Plan B was as useless as plan A. “You don’t remember casting the dark curse... So you don’t remember adopting Henry.” She said quietly. “Gothel’s changed every…”

   Her voice trailed off when she suddenly caught sight of Regina, whose facial expression had paled until she was as white as a sheet of paper. Her features had tightened even more than before and she glanced anxiously at the guard behind Alice and then back at her again. After a moment of Alice frowning up at her in suspicious confused silence, Regina stepped to the side and held the tent flap open for her.

   “Go get some breakfast,” She told the guard. “I’ll keep an eye on her until you return.”

   The guard seemed to be used to following her orders, as he turned to walk away without question, leaving Alice to hesitantly step inside Regina’s tent and fight the urge to fidget nervously in front of her. She didn’t think Regina would do anything too drastic to her, even if they were alone. Not after Tiana had given her the all clear to stay, but despite her mental assurances, Alice still felt uncomfortable being trapped in a small space with a woman who violently hated her.

   Inside was very much the same as Tiana’s main tent but also with a full length mirror that was stood at the end of the bed. That wasn’t a surprise, and Alice knew it had zero to do with vanity.

   Alice moved to stand beside the mirror across the room, giving herself and the Evil Queen plenty of desired space. She wished Robin was here with her, but it seemed she wasn’t going to be making any appearances this morning. Alice just hoped that was more to do with Zelena’s stubborn over-protectiveness than her daughter’s actual reluctance to see Alice.

   “How do you know about the dark curse?” Regina hissed, standing across from her with fingers twitching against her elbows like she was seconds away from striking a spell.

   Alice swallowed back her fears. Once again she told herself that she was sure Regina wouldn’t do anything rash. “It’s common knowledge in the real world. You cast your curse and-”

   “Okay, cut the other world excuse. How do you really know about it? Does your mother know? Is that why she sent you? To stop us?” Regina demanded.

   Alice frowned at her. “I… I don’t understand. You haven’t cast the curse but you’re planning to? But… Why?”

   For a moment Regina didn’t answer. She seemed to be just as confused as Alice, thinking hard before finally giving a curt reply. “This is a top secret mission. How do you know about it?”

   “I don’t know anything. All I know is what the dark curse is and what it does.” Alice said. She wished she could think of a lie for how she knew about it but nothing convincing was coming to mind and Regina still refused to believe her about the real world. Maybe if she side stepped the answer enough, she would forget about it. “I still don’t understand, if you haven’t cast the dark curse yet, what would make you do it now? Why are you planning to cast the dark curse if you don’t want to give yourself a happy ending…” Realisation dawned on her and Alice trailed off. “Oh… You’re going to use the curse to escape Gothel. If you cast the dark curse, she’ll be under it like everyone else and then you can… get rid of her? Or is it just to get away to another land?”

   Regina scowled and crossed her arms. “Well I guess you’re not that smart then.” Alice bristled but said nothing about the uncalled for insult. “Gothel is too powerful to be put under a curse. Even The Dark Curse. She’d either remember who she was or she’d find a way to break free. But my guess is it wouldn’t even work to begin with. Everyone knows she has magic protecting herself and her home from almost all spells and curses.”

   “So you’re using it to run away.” Alice nodded, beginning to understand. “But… I still don’t get how. You need the crush the heart of the thing you love most…” Alice once again cut herself short as the answer came to her on its own. She stood, shell shocked, looking up and staring at Regina in open horror.

   Regina paused and leaned back against a fold away table she was using as a desk. She regarded Alice for a silent moment before she seemed to come to a decision.

   With that, she began explaining her story.

   “My mother wanted to rise up in the world’s social classes. So she married my father and had me, with plans that I would also continue that rise. However, when I was still a young girl, Gothel came to my family and killed my mother and my father in cold blood because she deemed them both to be a threat to her power. She left me alive and, in what she called a mercy, told me I had a sister. It was her attempt to be kind, I suppose, but I saw it for what it really was. A tactic to keep me on her side. She didn’t know I possessed magic like my mother, nor Zelena, but she was still cautious.

   “For a while I had myself convinced that maybe Gothel was right. My mother was cruel at times, after all, she had separated me from my sister and Gothel had reunited us. I might have even become loyal enough to confess my magic to her and serve her had it not been for Daniel…”

   “Your first love,” Alice nodded, Rumplestiltskin had told her this story once during their travels together. “Snow White told a secret about the two of you and he died. That was why you cast your curse.”

   “Whoever you heard that from is talking complete nonsense.” Regina said. “Snow White was a young girl who I knew while living with my sister. Her parents were murdered, like my own, but when she was a teenager she met a farm boy who convinced her to run away with him. She was an annoyance at best but otherwise I know nothing of her and I don’t care about what happened to her. She was a princess who ran away for love rather than fight for her kingdom.”

   “That’s not true…” Alice mumbled, then shook her head. “So wait, what happened to Daniel?”

   “What else.” Regina snapped. “Your mother. Daniel tried to convince me that we couldn’t live as her play-things forever. I refused to help him fight her. Tried to convince him to just live as we were, so we could be happy together. We were poor. Peasants, working on Zelena’s farm but we were somewhat happy. Happier than I’d ever been living in my castle. But Daniel wanted more…” She paused, seemingly lost in thought like she might have forgotten she was even talking to Alice. “There was a witch. A friend of mine. Her name was Maleficent. Daniel knew she was a friend… So when Gothel sent guards to deal with her, after finding out she had magic… Daniel… Sweet Daniel… He rushed to her defence. Tried to protect her…” Regina shook her head, like she was shaking back tears. “They both died that day. Not even by her hand, but by the hands of her men.”

   Alice didn’t dare say a word. She and Regina had never had a proper talk before they were cursed, certainly not one where she could have told Alice her story. It was like something special was happening in front of her and she didn’t want to break Regina’s train of thought and ruin the moment.

   “I lost my mother, my father, my best friend and my first love. The only person I have left is my sister.” Regina said quietly. “I can’t bear the thought of losing her… But we will both do what we have to. Both of us.” She looked up sharply and glared at Alice. “Whatever we do, it’s not our fault. It’s you and your mothers!”

   “One of you is going to sacrifice the other?” Alice croaked, her whole body going cold. “No. You can’t!”

   “We both know that we need to do what we can to save others. And we’re both willing to make that sacrifice.” Regina said coldly.

   “No! I mean, we can beat Gothel together! No one has to sacrifice themselves!” Alice shouted. “You can’t do that! Robin would be devastated to lose her aunt, or her mother, or anyone for that matter!”

   “You and your mother have left us with no choice,” Regina snapped. “And you’ll be wise to keep your mouth shut. I may not be able to hurt you while Tiana is calling the shots, but that doesn’t mean I can’t use magic to take your tongue while you’re here.”

   “But we could stop her together!” Alice snapped in frustration.

   Regina rolled her eyes. “If you tell anyone about the dark curse,” She said, ignoring Alice’s pleas. “I’ll deny it. And who would believe you over me?”

   “No, you can’t do this!” Alice begged. “Please, just listen to me for one second!”

   Just then the curtain flap was pulled open and a guard appeared, drawn in by Alice’s shouting. “Is everything okay?”

   “Yes. We’re done here.” Regina said, purposely turning away from her and looking towards her mirror. “Take her out of my sight.”

   “NO! Please, listen to me! You’re making a mistake!” Alice cried, even as the guard grabbed her arm and began to drag her away. “You can’t do this! _Don’t_ do this! _Please_! Please listen to me! We can stop Gothel together! Please, let me help you and we can do it! We can! TOGETHER!”

   But, like with everyone else, Alice’s cries fell on deaf ears.

**To Be Continued...**

_Chapter Nineteen: Unanswered Questions - Sneak Peek:_  
   “Right,” Tiana said, sighing loudly.   
_“When this is all over, I’m going to expect lots of apology beignets from you to make it up to me.” Alice said with a small smile._   
_“What?” Tiana frowned._   
_“It’s this tasty treat you make in your food truck.” Alice explained brightly._   
_“Food… Truck?” Tiana said, looking at Alice like she really had lost the plot._   
_“Like… A food cart… But… Bigger… And it moves on its own.” Alice explained._   
_Tiana stared at her for a moment. Then, “You really have come from another world, haven’t you?” Unfortunately Alice knew she didn’t mean it in the way she wished she did._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The road to hell is paved with good intentions...  
> I also decided to give a light hearted sneak peek because I've given so many angsty ones, lol. But just be aware, it's not all fun and games next chapter.
> 
> Please comment, tell me what you think of the chapter, tell me what you think is going to happen in the next chapter, tell me what you wish would happen, tell me if you have any predictions for what's going to happen in the story, just tell me something!  
> Thank you! ;) <3


	19. Unanswered Questions

   The guard didn’t appreciate Alice’s struggles. He dragged her, kicking and screaming, all the way back to her tent with a roughness that bruised her arm and caused her to trip more than once. Every single person stuck their head out in search of the noise she made, glaring once they realised who it was making the racket and ducking back inside shortly after she had passed them by. Alice wholly expected Tiana or someone else to confront them but the guard moved fast and forced her all the way back to her tent in a matter of minutes, throwing open the entrance and pushing her violently inside where Killian was frantically doing up his laces, probably so he could come and see what the screaming was about like everyone else.

   “Hey!” Killian snapped, jumping forward and kneeling beside his daughter, his hand hovering just short of actually touching her shoulder. “Alice, are you alright?” He didn’t wait for an answer, rounding on the guard still standing over them. “You touch her like that again and you’ll find out what all these rings on my fingers stand for!”

   “Oh shut up,” The guard said, turning away and stepping back outside.

   Killian growled, then turned and knelt back down beside Alice. “Are you alright, Starfish?”

   Alice had been close to bursting into frustrated screams and tears (she had never cried so much as she did in this place, and that was including the long years she was all alone in her tower) but she was shocked into silence at the sound of her familiar nickname. She found herself looking up at him slowly. “… What did you call me?” She whispered.

   “Um, sorry,” Killian blinked, shaking his head. “I don’t know where that came from.”

   “I do.” Alice said quietly, the old nickname giving her a newfound rush of strength. She rubbed a hand over her face, wiping away imaginary tears and calming herself. “Papa. I need your help. We have to get out of here and we have to undo Gothel’s spell, now more than ever.”

   Killian’s face blanched and he leaned back slightly. “Alice…”

   “What?” Alice blinked. When he hesitated, she inched slightly closer towards him. “Papa?”

   “I just thought… You’d want to stay here…” Killian said slowly.

   “Papa! We can’t! We have to go and stop Gothel! Before it’s too late!” Alice said, resisting the urge to start pulling at her hair in frustration. How on Earth did Henry and Lucy handle no one believing them when they were kids?

   “I just thought…” Killian repeated. “Because… I see the way you look at Robin. How… How much you love her. I didn’t think you’d want to leave her.” It was clear he had no idea how or what to say to his daughter. He loved her, but unlike his memories in the real world, he had absolutely no experience actually being a father here. Alice might have felt sorry for him if she wasn’t busy feeling so terrified instead.

   “It’s because I love her that we have to go!” Alice insisted. “Papa, her aunt and her mother are in danger of doing something really stupid!”

   “What do you mean?”

   “It’s complicated but… Basically they’re planning on casting a curse that will help everyone escape from Gothel,” Alice explained. She saw her father’s eyes light up and charged on. “But it’s dangerous! One of the ingredients is to sacrifice another person’s life! If we don’t find a way to stop Gothel then Robin’s going to lose her aunt or her mother or worse...”

   “Alice… I don’t want you to think I don’t trust you but you have a very vivid imagination. And I have spoken with Queen Tiana. She’s made it clear she would never allow someone to sacrifice themselves for a temporary fix.” Killian explained gently.

   “She has no idea!” Alice explained. “Regina and Zelena are doing it in secret. Regina said she’d deny it if I ever told anyone but I swear papa, I promise you. I’m telling the truth!”

   “I have never doubted that you were telling the truth, Alice…” Killian said honestly.

   “You just think I’m imagining half of it.” Alice mumbled, looking away angrily.

   “Yes.” Killian admitted. “But only about this other world. You don’t imagine things here.” He leaned as close to her as he could get. “So if you say Robin’s family is in danger. I believe you.”

   “You do?” Alice whispered.

   “Yes.” Killian said firmly. “Now then, let’s plan how we’re going to get out of this place.”

   Alice grinned so wide she thought her face might break.

**O*U*A*T**

   Alice and Killian moved to the far side of the tent away from the entrance, using the back of an old map Killian had on him and a small piece of charcoal to scribble a rough design of the campsite. They sat as close as they could without touching and had put the pillows between them just in case. The last thing they needed was for Tiana’s people to have a reason to come charging in while they were so unprepared. Alice couldn’t help but glance at the heart necklace still hanging over his chest. Maybe it was her imagination but it looked like there was a hint of green along the pinkish clear surface. How much longer did it have before it would be full and they would be unable to touch once more?

   Alice forcibly turned her attention back to their plans. Killian was given much more leeway than Alice and had been able to look around in the short time he wasn’t being hounded by Tiana and her loyal subjects, taking in some of the minor details of the camp, like the amount of people and who stood guard during the night and morning. Their best bet was to go just after sunrise. Everyone would be sluggish, and there would be an exact moment when the guards were done with their duty but before everyone else was up and about that they could take advantage of. It would give them just enough time to start their attempt to run away, after that they would have to hope they were either faster, or that Tiana wouldn’t let her people give chase for fear of it being some kind of a trap.

   The biggest problem was going to be the guard that was constantly watching the two of them (or rather, Alice) specifically. Unlike the others, their personal guards didn’t go off duty until there was someone there to firmly take their place. The only thing they could do was either cut the tent along the back and slip out when they weren’t looking, or physically knock the guard unconscious and run before he could wake and alert anyone else.

   Their second problem would be provisions but in the end, they agreed that Killian would get what he could on his own before they left. Neither said it allowed, though they both knew that, for the most part, they would simply need to survive with what they could find on the way. Something which was going to be made all the more difficult while they were still so close to Tiana’s camp and her people.

   “We need to go soon,” Alice whispered. “As soon as physically possible. Like tomorrow.”

   “I’ll need time to get at least some supplies,” Killian explained. “We should have a sign though… Like, the night before we leave… I’m going to tell you that ‘you need to get your rest’.”

   “Early night sleep, early nights escape.” Alice said, nodding and grinning at him.

   “That’s the spirit.” Killian said, smiling softly.

   Alice watched her father as he began scribbling over the back of the map, covering it all with blocks of black smudges, getting rid of their plans completely. Maybe they were being over cautious but they both knew they’d rather be safe than sorry. Just the slightest hint of what they were going to do and Tiana would have them both locked up for God knows how long. Probably until Gothel got her full power back and then finished them off herself.

   It was only now that Alice realised this was probably the first real adventure she and her papa ever had together. At least with their memories still intact it was. Before this, she had been stuck in her tower most her life, then they were separated by curse of the poisoned heart, then they were cursed to completely forget each other altogether... When they finally broke that curse, they had immediately chased after Gothel and then they ended up here in this curse. A part of Alice was still sick of the thought about Robin not coming with them – she had been hoping she would come back to them or that Alice would at least have time to convince her to change her mind, but that clearly wasn’t going to happen. Maybe if she focused on her papa, then it wouldn’t hurt quite so much to think about Robin.

   “What do I do until then?” She asked. She didn’t like the idea of sitting around and doing nothing while her papa did all the hard work. It left her with far too much time to think about a certain archer she was leaving behind…

   “Just try and not draw too much attention. Act like you’re following the deal you made with Tiana.” Killian explained.

   Alice pulled a face but Killian had already looked away, tucking the map back into his inside pocket and wandering to the side, digging his hands into his pockets and seeing what they had left him with during their original search. She sighed, leaning back against the tight material of the tent behind her.

   Then sat forward. “Actually, I think I’m going to do some surveillance of my own.” She stood and walked quickly toward the exit.

   “You going to see Robin?” Killian asked carefully.

   Alice paused and shook her head. “No.” She didn’t explain further. She didn’t need to. Instead she kicked at the flap. “Coming out!” She called.

   The flap opened immediately this time and a guard’s face appeared in the small gap. It wasn’t the one who had been watching over them this morning yet he was already glaring when he looked down at her. Guess he wasn’t going to be any friendlier than his friend. “What do you want?” He snarled.

   “To see Queen Tiana.” Alice said with a cheerful smile.

   “Alice,” Killian said quietly.

   “It’s okay, papa.” Alice said confidently, glancing back at him. “I know what I’m doing.”

   Killian didn’t look too happy about it, but he didn’t say anything else as the guard held the tent flap open for her and allowed her to exit. She stepped outside and found the area a lot more full of various people than it had been earlier, including her morning guard who scowled and charged over as soon as he caught sight of her.

   “No way! Get back inside!” He snapped, towering over her.

   “I just want to see Tiana,” Alice explained.

   “After the stunt you pulled earlier?” The guard snorted.

   “What stunt?” The second guard asked.

   “Screaming her head off at Regina earlier,” The guard explained, never taking his furious eyes off Alice.

   Alice rolled her eyes and shrugged up at him. “I was upset. I’m over it now. Can I go?”

   “Not a chance.” The guard growled.

   “Come on!” Alice snapped. Then, before she could get worked up and say something she might regret, she thought of a different idea. “Look, I need to see her. I have information on Gothel that she needs to hear.”

   That made the two men pause, exchanging glances before looking back down at her again. “What information?” The second guard asked sharply.

   “That’s for Queen Tiana’s ears alone.” Alice said, crossing her arms stubbornly.

   The guards shared another irritated glance. Then finally the first one stepped out of the way and allowed them to continue.

   They walked back along to the tent that Alice had originally been taken to when she first arrived with Killian and Robin. It looked as fine and fancy as it had then but now, Alice found she resented the niceness of it just slightly more. It wasn’t anything to do with the appearance of the tent, but rather what it stood for. She understood their fear, but it didn’t change the fact that they were keeping prisoner the only person who could save them all.

   It was more than a little frustrating by this point.

   Tiana was standing just outside, talking with two more people Alice vaguely recognised. When she caught sight of Alice and her guard approaching them, she immediately shushed the conversation with a slightly suspicious frown, then waved the two of them away. She turned and came to meet them halfway, ignoring the many people who lingered to watch them and not so subtly slowed down in order to eavesdrop.

   “Alice. What can I do for you?” Tiana asked. It might have seemed friendly, if not for the look in her eyes. But hey, at least she was trying… Sort of.

   “I have some sensitive information I would like to give you.” Alice glanced around. “In private?”

   “I understand. Follow me.” Tiana nodded at the guard to keep him from following and led her back towards her tent. However, instead of going inside, she walked around it and took Alice through the trees to an open clearing, all the way towards the centre before coming to a final stop. When she saw the frown on Alice’s face, she smiled in something as close to kindness as Alice was going to get. “Our tents are comfortable, but hardly private. Anyone can hear through the thin material.” She folded her hands in front of her. “So what information do you have for me?”

   Alice smiled a somewhat strained expression and, judging by the way her own smile dropped, Tiana instantly knew what was coming. “Actually…” Alice said slowly. “I was hoping you could tell me something.”

   Looking caught between annoyance and amusement, Tiana raised an eyebrow. “Alright. A tit for tat then.”

   “A what?” Alice frowned.

   “You tell me something and I’ll tell you something.” Tiana explained.

   “I don’t…” Alice said, then cut herself off. She wasn’t going to get anywhere with the truth right now. “Okay, I’ll tell you what I can, but you have to go first. I need to find someone. His name is Henry Mills?”

   “Mills?” Tiana frowned. “You mean… Like Regina?”

   “Kind of.” Alice said carefully. “He’s a man who’s married to a woman named Jacinda? They have a daughter named Lucy? Any names ringing a bell?”

   Tiana shook her head. “Not that I can say. What makes you think I’d know them?” Then she held up a hand. “Wait, let me guess. This other world you think you’re from?”

   “That’s not important.” Alice said quickly. “Just think for a moment. He’s kind of tall, with dark hair. The friendly type with the powers of someone who has a lot of belief in them?”

   “Gothel may have taken over, but there was a time when my family was royalty. Before she murdered my father and banished me and my mother from our kingdom.” Tiana explained suddenly. “I have a lot of experience memorising names and faces. And our group here is still quite small. If I had ever met a man named Henry Mills, I’m sure I would have remembered. I do not know him.” She paused. “Why is he so important to you? Does he have anything to do with Gothel?”

   Alice sighed and shook her head. “Doesn’t matter.”

   “Alright, well now it’s my turn.” Tiana said, brushing aside her curiosity and crossing her arms.

   “Well technically you had your question when you asked why Henry was important to me.” Alice said quickly, only half joking.

   “I want to know,” Tiana went on like Alice hadn’t spoken. “How Gothel knew about Zelena’s magic?”

   Alice hesitated. “I could tell you. But you won’t believe me.”

   “Try me,” Tiana challenged.

   Alice shrugged. “She knows because in the real world Zelena doesn’t hide her magic – she doesn’t have to – and so since she changed it to this world, she’s kept her old memories about everything and everyone.”

   “Right,” Tiana said, sighing loudly.

   “When this is all over, I’m going to expect lot of apology beignets from you to make up for it.” Alice said with a small smile.

   “What?” Tiana frowned.

   “It’s this tasty treat you make in your food truck.” Alice explained brightly.

   “Food… Truck?” Tiana said, looking at her like she really had lost the plot.

   “Like… A food cart… But… Bigger… And it moves on its own.” Alice explained, waving her arms slightly.

   Tiana stared at her for a moment. Then; “You really have come from another world, haven’t you?” Unfortunately Alice knew she didn’t mean it in the way she wished she did.

   “We all have.” Alice said simply.

   “Do you have any other questions for me?” Tiana asked, once again ignoring her comment.

   Alice stared at her, then shook her head. “No. And the truth is, I don’t have any answers either. Despite what you may think, I don’t know anything about Gothel in this world. I don’t even know who _I’m_ supposed to be here. I’m not going to be of any use to you.”

   Tiana stared at her, her expression unreadable though Alice had a feeling she wasn’t too happy about having her time wasted. “We’ll see about that.” She replied shortly.

   A few moments later, Alice was walking back away as Tiana returned to the conversation she had been having with the men from before. Her guard appeared at her back in seconds, watching her closely along with everyone else the whole way back but Alice didn’t care about him, or anyone else for that matter. It was hard not to feel more than a little disheartened after her conversation with Tiana and Regina. Henry Mills had to be around here somewhere – surely with his wife and child – but it seemed Gothel was smart enough to keep him away from the others.

   There was always the hope that she would stumble upon him like she had her love and father, but something told Alice that wouldn’t be happening. It was hard to put into words, but it was like some part of her knew that she would find Robin and Killian if she searched for them due to their strong love for one another, and Rumplestiltskin had technically been the one to find her after she literally summoned him. But whatever had led them all to finding each other… There was no such connection that would do the same for her and Henry.

   Which meant Alice was just going to have to work with only her papa by her side from this point. At least until she found a way to get through to Rumplestiltskin. Then the three of them would face off against Gothel together, taking her down and putting everything back to the way it should be…

   How she was going to achieve any of this… Alice had no idea.

   The only thing she could think of was talking to her old friend. The real Rumplestiltskin had to be in there. Somewhere. Just like how her papa had naturally called her Starfish earlier – the same nickname he had always used back in the real world. That just proved that their real selves were still inside them, and all Alice needed to do was find a way to reach that part of them. If only she had Rumplestiltskin’s chipped cup or something else from the past world that could have been used as a trigger for him...

   Alice glanced around – as if sensing she was there – and caught sight of Robin. She was standing off to the side with someone Alice didn’t recognise. A young woman around the same age as her, who was laughing hard at something Robin had said a moment ago, standing far too close for comfort. And it left Alice feeling a ridiculous wave of jealousy rush through her, enough that she came to a sharp stop and openly stared at them, the guard nearly running into her as she did.

   “Keep moving.” He said gruffly.

   But Alice ignored him, because at that moment Robin glanced up and caught her gaze. Something flashed over her face but Alice didn’t get a chance to identify it when she also caught sight of her new friends expression as well, which – as usual – was a look of utter hatred and disgust. She scowled and moved closer to Robin, whispering something to her while still glaring at Alice. Alice felt her breath hitching and wanted to run away, but her body was frozen. So she was still watching when Robin’s head turned sharply to the girl and snapped something at her. The girl looked stunned, glancing between Robin and Alice before shrinking back and finally slinking away. It should have made Alice happy to see her scurry off so quickly, but instead the cold knot that was keeping her from moving remained firmly settled in her stomach.

   Robin glanced back towards her, seeming to have a mental struggle with something before finally she walked over. Alice almost wished she wouldn’t. She was finally coming to terms with the fact that Robin truly wasn’t going to be joining for the rest of their adventure and if she said anything to her, then Alice wasn’t sure she was going to be able to control herself. However, she still couldn’t bring herself to walk away either, and so she just stood where she was until Robin came to a stop in front of her.

   “Hey,” Robin said in a surprisingly soft tone. “You okay?”

   Alice didn’t trust her voice. So she simply shrugged.

   Robin took a breath, the barest hint of irritation in her expression as she put her hands on her hips. But instead of getting annoyed, she rolled some of the tension from her shoulders and let one arm drop back down. “Come eat lunch with me.”

   Okay, that was a surprising offer. Alice blinked before nodding her head, still keeping silent.

   “I have orders-” The guard began.

   “Oh take it up with my mother.” Robin snapped, grabbing Alice’s hand and pulling her away from him.

   Alice expected Robin to take her back to her tent, but instead Robin pulled Alice towards the centre of the campsite where a low fire was burning and a series of people were lining up beside it. They went up to a person handing out cracked wooden bowls, then to a second person who ladled something into said bowls, before moving up to a final person who gave them a plain slice of bread each. It was a poor man’s meal, but each of the people looked like they were given liquid gold before turning and hurrying to eat it on the spot, not even bothering to find a seat.

   Robin pulled Alice along behind her, taking her to the back of the line and standing with everyone else patiently, completely ignoring the looks she received simply by being with Gothel’s daughter. Almost everyone glared at them, and a few people even left the line altogether. Alice might have felt guilty or even uncomfortable about it, but she was still too shocked, staring down at where their hands were connected because Robin had yet to let go.

   They didn’t say anything as they made their way down the line before they accepted their bowls (Alice’s bowl was in the worst condition and she had no idea whether or not it was intentional) and then accepted their food (Alice’s portion was half of Robin’s – that much was obviously intentional) and finally collected their bread (dry and somewhat stale, though this looked to be the case for everyone’s bread – not just Alice’s). After which Robin led the way to a spot a fair space from the others and took the seat on the thick log of a long since fallen tree.

   Still, they were quiet for a few more stretched out minutes. Robin dipped her bread into the bowl and ate half of it before she finally spoke up, by which time Alice had cleaned her bowl in three gulps and was pulling her bread to pieces, letting most of it fall to the floor between her feet. She was never a fan of dry bread, even in her early days of escaping the tower when she had struggled to find food.

   “You really want everyone here to hate you?” Robin said suddenly.

   “What?” Alice blinked, looking up at her.

   Robin nodded at the pieces of bread on the ground. “Food is scarce around here. You shouldn’t waste what they give you.”

   “Oh. Sorry.” Alice blushed. She ate a bit of the bread still in her hand, trying not to cringe at the stiff texture against her tongue. “Hey… What did that girl say to you?” Robin gave her a blank look. “From before. That girl who leaned over to you and whispered something and you got annoyed?”

    “Oh, her. It’s nothing.” Robin said, shaking her head.

   “Didn’t look like nothing.” Alice mumbled.

   “She was just talking about things she has no clue about.” Robin said, setting her bowl aside and leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees. “She’s always been like that. I can’t stand her.”

   “You seemed friendly before I showed up.” Alice said quietly.

   Robin didn’t respond. Instead she kept staring into nothing in front of her for a moment before sighing and dropping her head. “Look. I need… I need to say sorry.”

   “… Yeah. You do.” Alice said. Robin looked up sharply but Alice just shrugged. “You said it. I just agreed.”

   “Well, fair enough.” Robin mumbled. “And I am sorry. The truth is; I gave your dad such a hard time for not going up against Gothel, but the truth is I’m no different. I only went against her because I thought she had my mother. I thought I had nothing to lose. Now I do, I suddenly see why he didn’t want to help us out.” She paused. “I’m such a hypocrite.”

   “A lil, but you’re trying.” Alice offered, moving slightly closer to her. “And I’m not much better. I think we can all be hypocrites at times.”

   “Well I don’t like it.” Robin grumbled, sitting up. “Despite what everyone thinks… I mean, they haven’t seen…” Robin let out a frustrated growl, sitting sideways to face Alice properly and looking her in the eyes. “What I’m trying to say is that I truly believe you have changed. For whatever reason, you are not the same girl that you used to be and I admire you trying to do everything you can to stop Gothel once and for all… I wish I could have been more help.”

   _Then come with me._ Alice thought. But instead she just smiled. “You’ve done all you can. You got me back to my papa. Maybe that’s all you were meant to do.”

   Robin hesitated, then nodded. “Maybe it was.” Another pause. “You’re still leaving.” It wasn’t a question.

   “Yeah,” Alice admitted. There wasn’t any point in lying. Not to her.

   “Then… I guess this is goodbye.” Robin said.

   “For now.” Alice said quickly.

   Robin rolled her eyes, but also had a smile pulling at her lips. “Sure. For now.” Alice leaned towards her but Robin jerked back sharply. “Stop.”

   Alice tried to hide the hurt that hit her but it wasn’t easy. In the end she stood up quickly, knowing she had to move before she burst into even more tears. “Goodbye for now.” She repeated, her ears ringing so loud it was almost deafening, meaning she could only hope that her voice hadn’t been shaking when she spoke.

   She hadn’t taken more than a few steps when she felt Robin grabbing her arm. “I should escort you.” She said, standing and walking by her side, not taking her hand off of Alice’s arm as she did.

   Alice half wished she wouldn’t have. Being rejected was bad enough, but now she had to deal with having to face her, making it even worse. As much as Alice was going to miss her, at a time like this, it almost felt like it would be easier to handle once they were out of sight of one another.

   Most of the area was deserted around Alice’s tent when she returned. Everyone was either getting food or hard at work elsewhere. Alice stepped inside – finding her papa had gone off as well – before she glanced back to find Robin hovering in the opening. Her face was twisted like she was in pain of deep thoughts and she glanced around nervously as if checking that the coast was clear. Before Alice could ask her if she was okay, Robin reached through the tent opening, placing a hand on Alice’s shoulder and leaning towards her.

   How was it possible that a kiss from her true love could both make her feel so happy… And yet also hurt, so much?

  **To Be Continued...**

_Chapter Twenty: Ruined Lives - Sneak Peek:_  
_Alice, still struggling to breathe, barely realised what was happening as she rolled onto her knees and watched her papa press a hand down against the guards throat, shouting at him with a mixture of swears Alice hadn't ever heard him use before. Alice didn’t understand what had happened at first and when she finally realised, two other men had come in and pulled him off their friend, throwing Killian back and helping the original guard to his feet._  
_“What happened? Are you alright?” One of the men asked the guard._  
_“Fine,” The guard coughed, still looking baffled as he glanced from Killian back to where Alice sat on her heels, gasping shakily as she scrubbed at her face with her hands, the tears finally coming to a stop.  
_ _“What did you do to my daughter?!” Killian shouted angrily, glaring at the guard and ignoring the other men, even as they drew their weapons at him._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment, tell me what you think of the chapter, tell me what you think is going to happen in the next chapter, tell me what you wish would happen, tell me are you a general reader or just fanfiction, just tell me something!  
> Thank you! ;) <3


	20. Ruined Lives

   After Robin had gone, Alice was left in a cold silence, all on her own. She glanced around the open space of her tent, reaching up to press a hand silently to her lips, still tingling from the kiss. But even that kiss wasn’t enough to warm her and without her papa to keep her company, Alice found she wasn’t sure what else to do now she was stuck here. Part of her wanted to go out, to look for her papa or see if there was anyone else around the camp she could ask about Henry, but she knew she couldn’t do either of those things. Her guard had disappeared after Robin took her away for breakfast, and without him, nothing good could come from wandering around on her own. Best case scenario, she would simply gets accused of sneaking around and spying on them for Gothel. Worst case, someone could actually try to hurt her.

   In the end, she knew she couldn’t go anywhere, and instead just sat down silently on the edge of her bed with a slight huff. When she began to shiver, Alice lay back, pulling the blanket over herself and curling her limbs against herself. She shut her eyes and willed herself to drift off to sleep rather than dwelling on the lonely silence around her. She knew it was a bit of a risk to open herself up to dreams, but she wanted to be well rested for their escape, as well as distract herself from the warm feeling slowly fading from her lips, mixed with the tense pain in her chest that quickly followed.

   So Alice tightened the blanket around her, breathing slowly and focusing on retelling herself the plan for their get away in order to help her drift off…

**O*U*A*T**

_… And then wasn’t all that surprise to wake up in her tower again._

_Alice sighed, sitting up from where she now found herself once again in the middle of the floor in the centre room of her old ‘home’. She was also back in one of her old Tilly outfits, which was actually quite refreshing and it might have even calmed her, if she didn’t know what was coming next. As she came to, she didn’t bother looking up or around the tower to see what kind of condition the building was in this time. Instead, she shut her eyes and waited in still silence on the floor. Maybe if she didn’t play along, then nothing would happen to her. Maybe Gothel would just give up and leave her alone for once._

_Yeah. And maybe world peace would be achieved through the power of music._

_“Alice?”_

_Her eyes snapped open and she looked up sharply, caught off guard by a familiar voice. “Papa?”_

_Killian stood in front of the window, looking down at her in surprise like he hadn’t expected to find her here._

_“Papa, what are you…” Alice began standing only to stop herself short._ No _, she told herself. This wasn’t real. It was a dream. A dream that Gothel was controlling, which meant this was some kind of nasty trick like all the others._

_Forcing herself to sit back down, Alice crossed her legs on the rough carpet that scratched through the holes in her torn black leggings – somehow the carpet seemed even stiffer and more bristly than she remembered – and forcefully shut her eyes. She slowed her breathing and kept quiet, like she was going to start a deep meditation. But instead of entering a trance, she began willing herself to wake up. It would probably work as well as all her other attempts to will herself awake, but she knew she couldn’t give up. Maybe if she tried it for long enough, it would actually work this time._

_“Alice…” Her father’s voice came again, still sounding surprised. “What… What are you doing here?”_

_“Not real,” Alice mumbled to herself. “Not real.”_

_“ALICE!”_

_The sound of her father’s sharp voice shouting down at her made Alice jump nervously on the spot. Despite telling herself to ignore him, she found she couldn’t resist opening her eyes and looking up. When she did, she was taken aback to find him glaring down at her in a way he had never looked at her before. He’d gotten mad at her in the past, sure – Alice wasn’t a perfect child and she had tantrums during her younger years of being stuck in the tower like any other kid her age would – but it wasn’t just frustration, or even anger in her father’s eyes right now. It was pure and utter rage, a look like someone who was seconds away from doing something he may later regret._

_And it frightened her._

_“What are you doing here?!” Killian snapped, taking a step towards her, his fists clenched tightly at his side._

_Despite continuing to tell herself that it was all just a dream, Alice instinctively found herself scrambling away from his fast approach. She was feeling caught between being shocked and afraid as she dragged herself up onto to her feet in order to back away from him. She had never seen this look on her father’s face before and the rational part of her mind telling her it was just a dream was being drowned out by the extremely panicking part, telling her to run. But there was nowhere to go and she was left to feel like a confused and frightened child, helpless and wondering what would bring such an ugly look out on her papa’s once calm and loving facial features._

_“I’m not going to ask you again, Alice. What the hell are you doing here?!” Killian shouted._

_“Papa…” Alice began._

_“Don’t call me that!” Killian shouted. “I am not your father!”_

_Alice felt her body shake and stiffen at the same time, like his very words were breaking through her skin and rattling her bones. In all the years she had had caused trouble, and those rare moments when she pushed her father enough for him to actually reprimand her for misbehaving, it had never been anything like this. Alice wasn’t sure how to react to it._

_“Yes. You. Are.” Alice said slowly, fighting the confused tears that were building in her eyes before she shook her head and pressed her hands to the side of her face, trying to focus. “No. No, you’re not. This isn’t real. It’s a dream that Gothel is controlling. So you’re not my papa because you’re not real!”_

_“Oh he’s real enough.”_

_Alice opened her eyes and looked to find Gothel suddenly appearing in the tower with them by the wall near the window. She walked across the room towards her and Killian with deliberate slowness. She smirked and, despite knowing he wasn’t the real Killian, Alice cringed and tensed as she reached up and put her arms around him in fake affection. Alice glared at her as the witch entwined herself against her father, smiling the whole time as she slowly stroking her hand down along his chest, slipping her fingers in some loose bit of open material and stroking the skin underneath. It made Alice cringe and she wanted to step forward and physically rip them apart... But instead, she forced herself to stay where she was, reminding herself again that it was all just a dream._

_“It’s not real,” Alice said to herself, but she was unable to pull her eyes away from the disgusting sight in front of her all the same._

_“Real enough,” Gothel said. “Because when you’re gone, I’m going to have such fun with the Captain.” She kissed his cheek slowly as he continued to glare at his daughter._

_“He won’t let you anywhere near him.” Alice hissed._

_“He won’t have a choice.” Gothel moved around to stand in between Alice and DreamKillian. “He’ll just have been another of your victims... Happy. That is until you came along and ruined it for him.”_

_“I’m saving them!” Alice snapped, then shook her head. She knew she had to stop fighting with Gothel like this. It wasn’t getting her anywhere. In fact it was probably what Gothel wanted._

_“No. You’re dooming them. Every person you come into contact with will suffer once I have dealt with you – and rest assure, I will succeed in dealing with you soon. And after you are gone, I will play with all that’s left, including the handsome Captain here.” She turned and kissed his cheek again, even more slowly this time._

_Alice saw red in her vision and her body shook, but she forced herself to turn away, facing the wall and clenching her fists to either side of her head, once again willing herself to wake up. She couldn’t stand seeing that woman touch her papa like that, even knowing it was just a dream. It was making her feel sick and she had to struggle to keep from charging at them, knowing it would more than likely just end with her flipping outside the window or having a piece of the ceiling fall down on top of her._

_“Captain, why don’t you tell the girl what you really think?” Gothel’s voice came through clearly even as Alice pressed her knuckles firmly against her ears. Somehow the sound came through as perfectly as if it was in her head. Which, she supposed, it actually was._

_“I think she’s nothing but a mistake,” Killian’s voice came in a snarl. Alice cringed at her papa’s uncharacteristically nasty tone and pressed her fists harder against her ears until they felt like they were bruising, squeezing her eyes shut to block him out._

_“Why did you stay with her then?” Gothel asked innocently._

_“No idea. Can’t even remember why I wasted so many years in this damn tower keeping you company when all you did was ruin my life.” Killian said, his voice getting louder and closer. “Everything. I gave up everything for you and what did it get me?! A cursed heart! I lost my chance for true love! I gave up my ship! Everything I ever enjoyed in life, all to take care of you and let me tell you, it was_ not _worth it one damn bit!”_

_“Not real, not real, not real,” Alice whispered._

_“Not only did it cost me my best years, my chance at true love, my own damn ship. But in the end you weren’t even grateful for it!” Killian shouted._

_“Yes, I am. I’m grateful for everything.” Alice croaked. She was still feeling shocked, and couldn’t just let him keep shouting lies at her like this._

_“Oh really?! Does a grateful brat run off and slut around with the Wicked Witches bitch instead of finding me a cure for my heart? You gave up on that quest in favour of screwing with that whore!” Killian screamed, tears finally breaking free from Alice’s eyes as she shook her head, ducking down into herself. “And then, as if that wasn’t bad enough, you go ahead and team up with my worst enemy! The man who killed the woman I loved before he took my blood hand!”_

_“He’s changed!” Alice snapped. “And my real papa knows it! He knows he’s a good man now!”_

_“He’s a monster! A monster who ripped out Milah’s heart and killed her just because she didn’t want to be with him! He spitefully murdered a woman because, if he couldn’t have her, then no one could! And then, he took my hand and laughed in my face before running away like a coward! He was always a coward, hiding behind his magic. But more than that, he’s a monster with or without it! He needs to be put down but what does my so called daughter do? She teams up with him! She helps him! Hell, when you started waking up from the curse you didn’t come to me. You went to HIM!”_

_“That’s not my fault!” Alice shouted, tears streaming down her face freely now. “I didn’t know! I wasn’t awake! The pills made my head foggy! Nothing was clear! I just knew I had to help him see! I had to wake him up!”_

_“You chose him over me! You chose the man who ruined my life over your own damn father!”_

_“I’m sorry…” Alice sobbed, her legs shaking until she dropped to her knees, hands still pressed against the side of her head. “I’m so sorry.”_

_“YOU RUINED MY LIFE!”_

_“I’m sorry!” Alice shouted, squeezing her head until it felt like her skull was going to crack under the pressure._

_“Sorry doesn’t fix things. Sorry doesn’t bring back Milah! It doesn’t give me the years I lost. It doesn’t bring back my ship. Sorry doesn’t do jack shit!” Killian screamed, so close he had to be standing right behind her now._

_“I’m so sorry,” Alice sobbed, leaning forward. “I’m sorry, papa-”_

_“Don’t call me that! I am not your father! I never wanted to be anything more than a ship Captain.” Killian hissed. “Don’t remind me of what you made me lose anymore than you already do just by breathing.”_

_Alice couldn’t even manage any more apologies through the tight lump that was clogging her throat. She hunched over, crying and pressing her hands hard against her face, wishing she could just collapse in on herself so she didn’t have to listen to his harsh words any more. Even without looking, she could tell that Gothel was most likely standing close by, smirking down at her while the man she cherished most in the world berated and screamed all his hatred down on her. Her breathing began to hitch and come in sharp gasps as she struggled not to choke in between the sobs. Alice began suffocating on her sobs and she leaned right over herself like she was trying to be sick, all the while her father screamed down at her, going on about how much she had ruined his life just by being born._

_All thoughts of this being a dream – of none of it being real, of them not being able to be kill her – were gone and Alice feared both for her life and for her sanity. She couldn’t handle her father hating her like this. Not while Gothel was hanging all over him and sneering as he beat Alice down with every brutal word said. Not while she was trapped back in this tower, more alone now than ever before in her life._

_She had to get out. If she didn’t escape, then she was going to break._

_Forcing herself to stand, Alice gasped for breath and spun around, running without pause and pushing passed her father and Gothel towards the window. She aimed to throw herself out, without pause, in order to get away from the pain behind her even if it meant facing the steep fall bellow, but Killian moved faster than she thought he would, grabbing her arm and pulling her roughly to a stop. He spun her around, forcing her to face him and gripping both her arms so tightly that she felt like he was going to break the bones underneath, but that physical pain was nothing compared to the emotional pain of looking into his fuming hateful expression. He looked at her with more hate than Robin had when they first encountered in Gothel’s world. With more hate than anyone had ever given her before, more than Alice thought was even possible and she was sure she was going to lose whatever control she had left under his intense gaze if she didn’t break it soon._

_“NO!” He screamed, shaking her. “You don’t get to run from this! You don’t get to run from me after all you’ve done!”_

_“Stop it!” Alice shouted, shutting her eyes and shaking her head. “Just stop!”_

_“You know how to make him stop, Alice.” Gothel’s voice came, and Alice opened her tear-filled eyes to watch the evil woman circling them like a predator about to pounce._

_And just like that, suddenly Alice remembered. This wasn’t real. Not any of it. It was all just a dream. A fake nightmare that Gothel had created up in Alice’s own head, just to hurt her. It_ wasn’t _real._

_“No!” Alice snapped, trying to pull her arms free and squeezing her eyes shut again. She had to block him out. He wasn’t her father. He wasn’t real. None of this was real. She just had to keep telling herself that before she lost her mind to this dream._

_“Listen to me!” Killian shouted. “Listen to me you god damn little bitch!”_

_“I said, no!” Alice screamed, reaching up and pushing hard against his chest._

_She’d only meant to push him away from her, out of reach so he could no longer hold onto her shoulders and shake her like a rag doll. She had only wanted to get him off her so she could continue to run away and wake herself up from this awful nightmare. However, when she opened her eyes, she found they were suddenly right in front of the open window and when she had reached over and pushed him, his grip vanished from her arms and he had stumbled back against the bottom of the windows frame. She hadn’t even pushed him that hard and yet he was thrown back by a sudden force, completely losing his balance._

_Shock kept Alice from helping him in time and she could only watch him tumble backwards through the open window and fall down out of the tower and completely out of her sight._

_And suddenly Alice was ten years old again. And she was screaming and running to the window. “PAPA!” She cried. “NO!” Resting her hands on the ledge she leaned out further than she could normally and looked down but he was still falling. Falling. And falling on until…_

_“What did I tell you?” Came Gothel’s voice from behind her as Alice stared down at the crumpled remains of her father lying at the bottom of the tower. “All you do is hurt those around you. You hurt them, and you will be the one to kill them unless you do the right thing…” Her voice gradually faded away._

_Alice hesitated, kneeling in front of the window and staring down at her papa. His body was twisted on the ground at impossible angles, and even though he was a great distance away, it was like she could see it as clearly as if he was directly in front of her. Slowly she glanced back over her shoulder, tears still streaming down her young face, but Gothel had gone, leaving her back in her tower, all alone. Alice turned forward again, expecting his body to be gone too but no, her papa still lay on the ground for her to see…_

_Unmoving…_

_Unbreathing…_

_All because of her._

**O*U*A*T**

   When Alice woke up, she was sobbing so hard that one of the guards finally assigned to watch her tent had come in to check on her. He had hesitated by her sleeping side, leaning over her while she was caught in the middle of her nightmare, right up until her eyes snapped open, sobs still wracking her body so much that she momentarily choked as she sat upright. She began coughing and gasping for breath, her heart beating so fast that she was afraid she might suffer an attack from it.

   The guard took a small but sharp step back from her as she sat up and glanced around the tent, like he was waiting for someone else to appear and tell him what to do with her. When it remained just the two of them, he ended up hovering by her side while she gasped and coughed, still unable to stop crying even now she was fully awake, like a part of her was still in the dream even now. She couldn’t stop picturing her papa, lying crumpled on the floor and even time she thought the fear might ease away, it came back twice as hard, hitting her like a slap across the face, or even a punch in her stomach, leaving he wheezing and breathless.

   It was hard to tell how much time passed as Alice struggled to calm herself down, but Killian returned before she could and the first thing he did was grab the guard that was still stood watching her, slamming him to the ground with a swift trip. Alice, still fighting to breathe, barely realised what was happening as she rolled onto her knees and faced the two men struggling against one another. She watched her papa press a hand down against the guard’s throat until he was firmly pinned, shouting at him, demanding to know what he had done, but all she could register was her papa’s face. His living, breathing face as he stood before her, unbroken, unharmed. Alive.

   Then she finally began listening to what it was he was saying. At first, Alice didn’t understand what he was talking about and by the time she realised, two other men had come into the tent and pulled him off their friend, throwing Killian back to the side and helping the original guard onto to his feet.

   “What happened? Are you alright?” One of the men, a dark skinned tall guy, asked.

    “Fine,” The first guard mumbled, still looking more than a little baffled as he glanced from Killian back to where Alice sat on her heels, gasping shakily as she scrubbed at her face with her hands, the tears finally coming to a stop now that her papa was here – safe – in front of her.

   “What did you do to my daughter?!” Killian shouted angrily from where he had been thrown to the floor, glaring at the guard standing between his friends.

   “What?! I didn’t do anything!” The guard snapped. “She was freaking out and crying so… I came in to see what was going on.” He finished lamely. He sounded so nervous and unsure that, if Alice didn’t know he really hadn’t done anything to her, she probably wouldn’t have believed him either.

   “You’re lying!” Killian shouted, jumping up and making to lunge for him.

   “Enough!” One of the men said, throwing Killian back again. “Try that again and you’ll be locked up and left in the woods!”

   Killian hesitated, torn between attacking this man for his threat and biting his tongue for Alice’s sake. He couldn’t help her if they were separated, after all. In the end, his love for Alice proved stronger and he stepped back, glaring at them but saying nothing else. After a moment, the three men walked outside, whispering and hissing to one another quietly about what they should tell Queen Tiana, or if they should even tell her anything at all. From what Alice could hear, the two men were trying to figure out what had happened before they went to their leader but the guard with all the answers was just as confused as they were.

   “Alice, are you alright?” Killian asked, taking a nervous step towards her. “Did he hurt you?”

   Alice, finally seeming to get a decent hold on her breathing, still couldn’t find her voice and so she shook her head at him in response. She continued wiping her face with the palms of her hands hard and forcing herself to breath deeply until her heart rate slowed and finally she could speak. Only when she could, she wasn’t even sure where to begin. “No, papa. I- I had a nightmare. An… It was awful.”

   Killian hesitated, taking a moment to reassure himself that the guard really hadn’t done anything to her. “Do you want to talk about it?” She didn’t answer so he pressed on. “Was it Gothel?”

   The name brought a flash of anger to Alice so intense that she audibly growled and stood up, tears returning to her eyes but for a whole new reason. She did her best to blink away the angry tears, taking a deep breath to keep from throwing anything, knowing the noise would do nothing but bring the guards back in to them again.

   “So it was her…” Killian said quietly, frowning. “What did she do? Tell me, Alice.”

   “Doesn’t matter.” Alice whispered through gritted teeth. “She won’t get away with it.” She looked up at her father with furious hate filled eyes, catching him by surprise. “She’s going to pay for all of this. She isn’t going to win!” Turning away, she looked towards the tent flap and lowered her voice. “We need to get out of here. We need to stop her once and for all.”

   For a moment, her father was quiet.

   Then; “Well in that case, Alice.” He said meaningfully. “I think you need to get your rest.”

**To Be Continued...**

_Chapter Twenty-One: A Break For Freedom - Sneak Peek:_  
_Alice was pushing on at top speed when suddenly a shape appeared from behind one of the nearby trees to her right. She had no time to react when they knocked into each other, not hard enough to fall over but enough for them to stumble back to a stop and struggle to keep their balance as they looked up at one another. For a moment Alice was blinded with panic at having been caught but then realised who it was she had run into._  
_“Robin…” Alice gasped, barely daring to believe it._  
_Before she could say anything else, Robin lunged at her. She grabbed Alice by her shoulder and pushed her back against one of the nearby trees, thick enough to press Alice entirely against it and hold her firmly in place. It was such a surprise that Alice barely managed the ‘oof’ as the air was knocked from her lungs and put up no fight when she held her there._  
_“What-” Alice began._  
_“MOTHER!” Robin called loudly, turning to look passed the tree while still holding Alice in place._  
_Alice’s body stiffened. “Robin…” She croaked.  
_ _“MOTHER!” Robin shouted, still looking around the tree and carefully keeping Alice pinned in place so she couldn’t break free and run, not that she tried to. She was too busy feeling her emotions crashing at the betrayal._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long break! Basically I got stuck on a oneshot (ended up giving up and restarting it anyway XD) and then went on a two week holiday at a place with no WiFi! It was horrific! But I'm back now! I'll try and keep the updates regular. Just know, GPW is having no problem being finished - I'm almost done! But I'm trying to post Oneshots in between chapters and they're what's slowing me down. Anyway! Enjoy this chapter! Hope it didn't get too angsty for ya XD
> 
> Please comment, tell me what you think of the chapter, tell me what you think is going to happen in the next chapter, tell me what you wish would happen, tell me your favourite YouTuber, just tell me something!  
> Thank you! ;) <3


	21. A Break For Freedom

   Unsurprisingly, Killian hadn’t been able to get very much during his walk about the camp, but he had still managed to get a hold of a few odd bits and pieces, and he had even managed to tuck it all into a bag he had hidden out of sight under the back of his coat. If anyone looked too closely, they could see the lumpy bulge against the middle of his spine, but it seemed there was still some left over luck on their side. So far everyone had mostly avoided the two of them. Even the guards that were meant to be watching them never bothered to keep _too_ close an eye out, mostly out of spite. It was like their hatred for the two of them overrode their loyalty to Tiana completely.

   Alice didn’t bother asking what he had in there, but she gratefully accepted the small half broken knife he handed to her, tucking it into the side of her boot, hidden from sight and still within quick reach should she have need of it. He also passed over some slices of bread he had managed to steal when no one was looking, instructing her to tuck them into her pockets just in case they were later separated during the escape. Should the worst happen, they had no idea how long it would take them to find their way back to one another and they needed to be prepared.

   Afterwards they had nothing left to do but wait the rest of the day out. As Alice expected, it seemed to take forever for night to fall with all her nerves so tense and jittering the whole time. Even her stomach was beginning to knot to the point where she was worried she was going to be sick and draw unwanted attention their way. To help take her mind off of it, Alice went over the plan, as well as trying to decide what they would do after the escape.

   That was the real question. And it was a complicated one too. She was honestly wasn’t sure what their next step would be and in the end, it really did help the time pass, though she still had no answers by the time the sun had finally set. It seemed they were going to making it up as they went once they were free to decide.

   During the silent waiting and repeated preparations, they didn’t say much to each other. And in the silence, Alice couldn’t help but wonder if her father was as tense about the next few hours as she was. He didn’t look it... Except for the way his eyes jerked back and forth from her to the door repeatedly the whole time.

   But the ironic part was, Alice wasn’t worried about making a break for it in the night and getting away from the people who had a high chance of killing her if they happened to catch them. She was just sick at the thought of leaving Robin behind while she did. Even now, she argued with herself, wondering if she should try one more time to find her and convince her to come with them, to join them in their fight so they could work together just like old times... Like they were supposed to...

   But ultimately, Alice knew there was no point. Robin had made her decision. Alice was just going to have to wait until she fixed this whole mess before they could be reunited properly.

   As night completed its takeover of the sky and the camp gradually grew quiet, Killian began to test the back of the tent with the tip of his hook, checking to see how easily it was punctured before peeking through the hole he made to see with limited vision if the coast was clear for them. They were near the middle of the camp but all the tents behind them were conveniently facing in different directions and the ones in use were full of sleeping occupants or otherwise those getting ready to be.

   So with that final detail confirmed, Killian set about cutting the back of the tent while Alice stood guard by the entrance. She stood right in front of the flaps, so if anyone came charging in then they would run into her first, stalling them and causing enough of a confusion for Killian to hide his handy work. Their biggest threat – and the only one they had no way of avoiding – was if someone wandered behind the tent and saw him at work from the other side. For that, they could only hope it didn’t happen.

   For the whole time that her father worked, Alice felt even more painful nerves tightening around her stomach, getting worse and spreading until it was almost like the pressure was blocking and bruising the inside of her chest, all the way up to her throat. If they were caught, they probably wouldn’t get another chance at this. And more than that. They would more than likely be separated for good, as well. Alice alone would have guards around her twenty four seven, in and out of the tent at all times, and her papa… Well, Alice had no idea what they would do to her papa. Would they lock him up in his own tent like they had her or would they just throw him out of the camp and banish him altogether? Or maybe something even worse...

   It was hard to tell how much time had passed exactly before Killian was standing back up and grabbing the bag from under his bed, throwing it behind him, tying it around his torso and pulling on his coat on over the top. Once he was set, he turned back to Alice, waving her towards him.

   Still feeling nervous and sick, Alice crept over towards him. She knew it was ridiculous, but she couldn’t help but feel like every step she made on the soft ground was somehow ridiculously loud and noticeable by those outside. Even when no one came immediately running after them after she had crossed the room, she found herself pausing to take a slow breath and nodding her head quickly at the concerned look he gave her. She still felt terrible, but it was now or never and she was ready to take the plunge.

   Killian walked over to the entrance and half stepped outside. “We’re calling it a night. It’s been a long day. So just leave us be, alright.”

   “You don’t give out orders here.” Was the guard’s sharp reply.

   “Just asking you to be courteous, mate.” Killian said calmly, ducking back inside the tent. “It’s clear out front.” He whispered to Alice. She nodded, turning and ducking her head through the gap, carefully glancing around before pulling back. Also all clear.

   “We’re good.” Alice replied, trying to keep the shake from her voice.

   “Then let’s go.”

   He walked over and held the material of tent open for Alice to crawl through, making sure not to let their skin touch as they did. After Alice was outside, she stood up, feeling all the hairs standing on end as she glanced around the open space, half expecting to find Tiana or Regina standing, waiting for their escape attempt. No matter how many times she repeatedly checked to see if anyone was there – and no matter how many times she assured herself that they were safe – she couldn’t shake the frightened feeling that she was somehow more vulnerable standing out in the open like this than she had ever been before.

   Luckily, Alice didn’t have to wait too long before Killian was able to squeeze through the gap and join her, helping some of her fear subside. Even so, he looked as tense and frightened as Alice, and paused to press close against the back of the tent as he glanced around, triple checking they were still alone. They both knew that at any moment now, someone could come around one of the other tents and catch them in the middle of their getaway. All it would take was just one person to catch a tiny flickering sight of their legs and cry out a warning to bring the whole camp down on them and it would be all over.

   Killian reached towards her, stopping short of touching her arm but with a lingering expression like he truly wanted to. Instead, he let his hand drop and nodded his head, silently turning and leading the way from the camp without making a sound. They ducked down behind the closest tent to their own and began to steadily make their way through the rest of the site, moving at a crawls pace so as to avoid making a stupid mistake and being spotted. The speed allowed them to keep an eye out for anyone who might be wandering by to catch them, even if it did take them twice as long to get going. But despite how prepared they were to hide or run at a moment’s notice, it seemed the camp really had wound down for the evening, giving them their best chance and they had little hassle getting going past the other occupants.

   Alice hadn’t had a chance to really explore the area since being taken in, but she still felt sure that it had grown twice the size somehow during their break out. It took them forever before their tent was even out of sight and even then, there were still so many in their way as they headed for the trees. Afterwards they would need to start running all out if they wanted to get a big enough gap that Tiana and her men wouldn’t be able to track them down again, not even including Regina and Zelena, what with their magic at full use here.

   When they finally reached the first cluster of trees, Alice felt herself breathe both a sigh of relief and a slight breath of disappointment. Even now, when they were so close, she had stilled hoped that Robin would show up at the last minute and join them after all. And now she had run out of time, it truly hurt knowing they would really be forced apart yet again. Made worse, since there was no guarantee they would see each other again. Not if Alice and her papa failed to defeat Gothel this time round.

   “QUEEN TIANA!”

   Killian and Alice froze for a short moment. They couldn’t help themselves. Even in the dire situations, they both had an instinct to pause at the sound of the cry not too far off, as if they were just making sure they hadn’t imagined it. Then they snapped out of their shock and glanced nervously at one another, listening a little longer in case it really wasn’t what they thought and it turned out to be a misunderstanding. Unfortunate that wasn’t the case and they didn’t need to listen too closely to realise it after the next cry came.

   “SEND OUT SEARCH PARTIES IMMEDIATELY!” Came Tiana’s commanding voice. “I WANT THEM FOUND!”

   “Damn it. Alice, run!” Killian hissed.

   She didn’t need much more encouragement than that.

   They pushed off the ground completely and broke into a sprint – it seemed all Alice had done since waking up in this world was run away from something or another – and together they darted the remaining distance into the closest set of trees on their left. They dashed down, no longer doing their best to stay quiet (thankfully the camps sudden uproar masked their steps well enough) and made their way between the outstretching branches in their way. From there, they did their best not to lose track of one another as they wound their way around all the logs and trunks getting in their way, moving deeper and deeper into the trees and away from the camp and the people looking for them.

   Behind them, the shouts of Tiana and her people continued on, some growing distant and quiet while the others grew clearer and louder. Tiana’s voice in particular was carrying most of all as she called out orders back and forth to everyone else, sending people in every direction and making it clear that she was not going to let the two of them get away so easily. Killian disappeared from Alice’s side, but only for a second before he reappeared in front of her and began to lead the way for them both. Alice trailed behind him, unable to resist the urge to glance back over her shoulder, more than once, even though it meant she was slowed down slightly each time. Despite putting everything into getting away, she couldn’t help but feel like she was just waiting for the moment where she was sure they would be re-caught somehow.

   And then for a second time, Alice lost sight of her father. One minute he was in front of her but when Alice glanced back over her shoulder and looked forward again, he was gone. Instantly, she had to fight the panicked urge to call out for him or do something silly like stop short to look around. She wanted to, in case he had fallen or stumbled to the side and she was about to leave him behind but at the same time, she knew he wouldn’t just lie there to be rescued, and if she stopped then she could fall too far behind and get caught herself. So instead she kept quiet, pressing her lips tightly together to make sure of it and kept running on, doing her best to keep from bursting into tears from her constant worry. Alice kept ducking around the trees that appeared in her way, sprinting but all the while she kept her eyes moving as well, searching for her father by sight alone while still forcing herself to be careful as she did. She had to. She didn’t want to get herself turned around and end up back at the campsite like an idiot.

   Alice was still pushing on at close to top speed when suddenly a shape appeared from behind one of the nearby trees to her right. She had no time to react to it when they suddenly knocked into each other, not hard enough to fall over but enough for them to stumble back to a sharp stop, struggling to keep their balance as they looked up at one another. For a moment, Alice was blinded with panic at having been caught and she prepared to fight with every bit of strength left to get away again, only to stop short when she realised who it was she had run into.

   “Robin…” Alice gasped, barely daring to believe it.

   Before she could say anything else, Robin lunged at her. She grabbed Alice by her shoulder in an iron tight grip and pushed her back against one of the nearby trees – thick and bulky enough to press Alice’s body entirely against it and hold her firmly in place. It was such a surprise that Alice barely managed the ‘oof’ sound to escape her as the air was knocked from her lungs. From that point, she was stuck in place and unable to break free. Not that she made an actual attempt to fight back. The shock of seeing Robin again made her weak and numb, allowing herself to be held in place with minimal effort, though Robin was still pressing hard enough to leave a bruise regardless.

   “What-” Alice began.

   “MOTHER!” Robin called, turning to look passed the tree while still holding Alice firmly against it.

   And just like that, Alice’s body turned ice cold as the at the sound of her cry. “Robin…” She croaked, feeling her throat tighten and her chest ache all at once.

   “MOTHER!” Robin shouted again, drowning Alice out and still looking around the tree away from her. Her grip tightened even more so Alice was unable to attempt to squirm out of her grasp, not that she actually tried to. She was too busy feeling her emotions crashing down on her at the betrayal from her true love.

   “Robin!” Zelena’s voice came suddenly. She didn’t sound very far off, and her voice was quickly followed by the sound of rustling and crunching nature as she made her way towards them in a hurry.

   “No!” Robin shouted. “Mum, she’s started back around! She’s going towards the camp to throw everyone off! Hurry! You have to catch her before she gets away!”

   And with that, Alice felt her body slump against the tree as the tension flooded out from her limbs. She was momentarily taken off guard and frowned in confusion, wondering what Robin was talking about, before she realised that, at this angle, Zelena couldn’t see her.

   “Come on, then!” Zelena called.

   “I can’t! She tricked me. I dunno what she did but I’m stuck.” Robin shook her head frantically as her mother continued to hurry towards her. “No, mum, go! Don’t let her get away! You can come back for me when you have her. I’ll be fine! Now go! Quickly! Before she escapes!”

   A moment later, Alice once again heard the sound of Zelena’s footsteps crunching on the ground as she turned and ran back in the opposite direction, heading away from where Alice and Robin were left standing. It didn’t take long before the snapping of twigs and rustle of each broken leaf under her boots had faded into the distance, after which, it was too quiet to hear over the whistling wind. It wasn’t long before they seemed to be alone once again.

   “Thank you.” Alice breathed as Robin let her go and took a small step back, giving her some very _undesired_ space.

   Robin looked like she wanted to say something but was unsure how to phrase it and ended up just shaking her head and turning away instead. “Come on. If I caught up, then the rest of the search party can’t be far behind. We don’t have long to get away.”

   Despite the intense situation and the sound of the others that were no longer quite as distant as they once were, Alice still paused to smile at her. “We?” She asked hopefully.

   “Yes, ‘ _we_ ’. Now move!” Robin said, grabbing her arm and dragging her along behind her.

   With a slight skip in her step, Alice followed Robin as they started back in the direction that continued to take them away from the camp. There were still voices calling out and cries from the people searching for them and some were getting louder and closer, but Alice barely noticed them anymore.

   Because Robin had come back to her.

   Just like she always would.

   No matter what happened, they would never stay apart for long.

**O*U*A*T**

   “What the- I thought you weren’t coming!” Killian snapped.

   He appeared so suddenly by their side that Alice nearly screamed and she saw Robin grab for her bow from the corner of her eye at the same time. Luckily they both caught themselves just in time as Alice’s father came to a standstill beside them, panting a little but otherwise physically okay and unharmed. It was such a relief that Alice felt herself grinning, even while her side had a painful stitch stabbing into the spot under her rib. But as he moved closer to them, Alice was surprised to see him glaring at Robin, and he even made a point of stepping dangerously close to Alice so he could force his way between the two girls.

   The three of them found that they had come to a stop at the edge of the trees, stepping out into what looked like a stretch of dry dirt forming a road between the forests edge. There didn’t appear to be anyone else around this area and now nearly all the crying voices behind them were distant and faint enough that Alice finally felt herself somewhat relax and they all allowed themselves a moment to pause and catch their breathes. It wasn’t long before the only other sound, apart from the distant calls, was the occasional bird chirp and the heavy gasping of breath that came from the three escapees.

   “I changed my mind.” Robin snapped back at him, making her own point of putting some space between them. “Now let’s hurry up before they realise I lied and catch all three of us.” She purposely walked around Killian until she was back standing beside Alice. “Which way?” She asked her.

   Not wanting to admit that she still had no idea which way they should take next, Alice picked a random direction, pointing to the left on a whim. It was near impossible for her to tell, but she guessed it sounded like that way might be heading away from any lingering noises of the camp behind them.

   “Then let’s not waste any time.” Killian said firmly.

   “Since when were you so invested in this mission?” Robin said, raising an eyebrow suspiciously at him.

   “Since when were _you_?” Killian challenged sharply.

   “Don’t start fighting!” Alice shouted over them, pulling Robin away from her father. “Can you please not argue right now? Please?!”

   The two fell silent, glancing irritably at one another but at the same time they listened to Alice’s pleas and stopped their squabbling. For that, Alice was grateful and was happy to move the conversation along to avoid it further, but at the same time, her own curiosity jumped in as well and she found herself looking to her love.

   “So um… Robin… Why did you… Change your mind?” Alice asked shyly.

   Robin looked away from her and for a moment, it seemed like she wasn’t going to respond.

   Then; “I did some thinking. Back in my tent.” Robin explained. “I can’t really put into words. I was just thinking it through… Thinking what you said to me… And thinking how I was letting you down. I was a total hypocrite, giving your dad a hard time for choosing his family over everyone else and the second I had my mother back I did the exact same thing.” She looked down to where their hands were still joined, then up to look Alice in the eyes. In that moment it felt like when they were back in the yellow bug and Alice knew Robin was about to be open and honest with her once more. “I’ve told you before how… You’re not what I expected. You’re different to who you used to be. You seem like you truly want to help everyone and… I don’t know why but I feel like I really let you down before. I feel so guilty over it, I couldn’t just stand by and let you go at it alone... Or at least, let you go without me.” She paused, then added quickly: “Without me helping, I mean.”

   Alice opened her mouth, not even sure what she was going to say, only that she couldn’t be happier to hear Robin saying all of this. But she stopped herself short before she could. While Alice was very much elated to hear Robin feeling this way, something was telling her there was more that she wanted to say while they had the chance. So she kept quiet and waited for her to continue in her own time. Despite what she believed, Alice knew Robin well enough to know she needed to get this all out in one go if she was going to get it out at all.

   “And then my mum started talking about my dad.” She sighed. “You probably don’t know him. His name was Robin Hood. He had a bit of a fling with my aunt and – for one drunk night – a fling with my mother.” Alice bit her tongue on the truth and listened. “Mum said he was such a goodie two shoes, always going out of his way to save other people, to defend and protect them. It didn’t always work out but he really did try his best. He probably would have become a great hero, people probably would have known him just by his name alone if Gothel’s men hadn’t cut him down right after I was born.” She gave a small smile. “I was named after him, in case you didn’t already guess.”

   “I’m sorry,” Killian said softly, reminding the two of them that he was still there with them. “It’s not easy, losing a loved one like that.” He hesitated, then seemed to feel like he needed to add more and explained; “My father abandoned me and my brother to a lifetime of slavery, and then later my brother was killed. I never found out who, or why.”

   “Seriously?” Robin blinked up at him, like she hadn’t expected that from him. “Oh wow, that’s awful.”

   “Well, while we’re on the subject of crap family.” Alice chipped in. “My mother’s an evil psychotic bitch trying to take over the world and making everyone in it miserably bow down to her, which, by the way, includes cursing me and my father from ever truly being together by making it so I’d accidentally kill him, just by giving him a quick hug. So thanks to her, I grew up pretty lonely. And now, to make things worse, she’s hell bent on trying to kill me once and for all.”

   Robin stared at her, looking caught between sympathy and amusement. “Okay then, you win.”

   Killian nodded his head with serious sadness and Alice bumped her hip against Robin, causing the girl to fall against her father for her and grinning at them both. “But that doesn’t matter ‘cause we’re together now.” She said cheerfully.

   “Aye, we are.” Killian breathed, smiling back at her.

   “For now,” Robin said glumly. “Until Gothel finds her. I mean, do you even have a plan for what we’re going to do next? How we’re going to stop her with just the three of us?”

   “I do,” Alice nodded. “We’re going to summon Weaver again.”

   It took the two of them each a moment of frowning in confusion before they realised who she was talking about. And even then, it was a few drawn out minutes before Robin finally caught on.

   “Wait a min- Are you crazy?!” Robin snapped, ripping her hand free and rounding around in front of her. She forced Alice to come to a stop and face her furious gaze straight on. “The Dark One is evil, Alice! He’s Gothel’s lap dog, her right hand man! And he almost killed us once already! And now you want to try calling him to us _again_?!”

   “Alice, you can’t be serious!” Killian chimed, coming to a stop beside her.

   “Just hear me out-” Alice argued.

   “No! Alice! I’m putting my foot down on this,” Killian snapped.

   “Me too.” Robin agreed firmly.

   “Can I just talk?!” Alice shouted.

   “NO!” Her father and her love snapped together, finally seeming to be on the same side for once.

   Alice snapped her mouth shut and stared at them both in shock. She had expected resistance, but certainly not this much outright anger at her plans. She wanted to explain herself but it was clear neither of them were backing down any time soon. After a moment, they all silently agreed to continue walking and they seemed to have let the argument go but Alice was sure she wasn’t imagining the slight stomp to their steps now.

   “Fine, so what would you suggest?” Alice asked, all the while knowing she was still going to do exactly what she planned. She’d just need to be a little sneakier about it.

   Neither of them replied straight away. Alice wasn’t sure they were going to – wondering if they were really that angry at her for her idea – when Killian suddenly shook his head. “Let’s get away from here first. We can discuss plans once we’re safe from the angry mobs on both sides of this damn war.”

   “Your dad’s right. Let’s hurry. Once mum realises I’m gone, she’ll start looking for us harder than ever.” Robin explained.

   “Will she be able to find us?” Alice asked nervously. She didn’t want to think of how Zelena would react if she managed to hunt them down and found Alice with her daughter for a second time.

   “I don’t think so.” Robin said, nodding at Killian. “It’s just a theory, but I think that necklace sort of blocks out her ability to find us with magic. That’s why she never found me before. She told me she tried but something odd happened and kept blocking all her spells.”

   “So it keeps Gothel and your mum out,” Alice mumbled, nodding her head. This could be useful information to use for later. Though she had no idea how but by now she had learned to take what she could get.

   “That’s a relief.” Killian noted.

   “A small one. We’re still just wandering without a destination.” Robin grumbled.

   Alice reached over, wrapping her arm around Robin’s and pecking her on the cheek. “Don’t be so negative.”

   “You’re really chipper considering the situation.” Robin noted dryly.

   “Well of course!” Alice gave Robin’s arm a soft squeeze. “I’m with two of the people I love most in the world. Not even Gothel can take this away from me.”

   “Don’t jinx it.” Robin said but she said it with a failed attempt to hide her slight smile.

   Beside her, Killian was watching the two girls in silence. Alice caught sight of the thoughtful expression on his face and smiled when she noticed he wasn’t so much as looking at them as he was their joined arms. She purposely wrapped her other arm around Robin as well and leaned to rest her head on her shoulder, smiling when she felt Robin sigh loudly at her cuddling but notably, she didn’t bother trying to pull away from her either.

   “Nothing could jinx this moment.” Alice whispered. “It’s perfect.”

   After a few more steps together, they heard a low rumble over head. The thunder that came just seconds before the rain.

   “You were saying?” Robin groaned.

   “Don’t care.” Alice said over the sound of the heavy rain fall. “It’s still perfect.”

**To Be Continued...**

_Chapter Twenty-Two: A Hot Meal And A Warm Bed - Sneak Peek:_  
   “What are you asking me?” Robin snapped, finally looking at her.   
_“I’m asking if there’s ever a world where you could see yourself loving me.” Alice said, staring at her. “Tell me the truth.”_   
_Robin’s gaze wavered but she didn’t look away. “Yeah. I guess. Maybe.”_   
_Alice’s face broke open into a nervous smile. “Then why is it so hard here?”_   
_“Because we’re not in another world, Alice. We’re in this one.” Robin said sharply._   
_Alice hesitated, then pushed the sheets back and climbed on top of them. She tried not to think too hard about it as she crawled to sit by Robin’s side, leaning towards her slightly. “What if we pretended we weren’t? Just for one night. Just for tonight. What if we acted like they were in that other world and we could do whatever we wanted because we loved each other?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again! Sorry for long break! I ran into some writers block but I am so close to being done that I will hopefully be posting a lot more. But that being said, the story still has a way to go before Alice's latest adventure is done. So enjoy and tell me what you think?
> 
> Please comment, tell me what you think of the chapter, tell me what you think is going to happen in the next chapter, tell me what you wish would happen, tell me if you're going to any cons this year, just tell me something!  
> Thank you! ;) <3


End file.
